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Q&A
Council Member Salaam questions Commissioner Tisch on 911 call center staffing and response times
3:03:33
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Council Member Yusef Salaam raises concerns about 911 call center staffing shortages and potential delays in service. Commissioner Jessica Tisch responds to these concerns, providing current staffing numbers and addressing claims about calls going to voicemail.
- The authorized headcount for police communication technicians is 1,672, with current staffing at 1,456, leaving a shortage of 216 positions.
- Commissioner Tisch denies knowledge of 911 calls going to voicemail but promises to investigate further.
- The exchange highlights ongoing challenges in maintaining adequate staffing levels for emergency services.
Yusef Salaam
3:03:33
Thank you.
3:03:34
As a follow-up to council member Ressler's question on 911 calls, with what we're hearing on the shortage of staff and staffing have to work extended hours, are there any shortages in service that would be detrimental to the public and are 911 calls going to voicemail?
Jessica Tisch
3:03:54
It is not my understanding that 911 calls are going to voicemail and 911, I used to run the system, doesn't have voicemail unless there's something new in the past five years but that would not make sense.
3:04:07
I will look at it though.
Yusef Salaam
3:04:12
And we heard from a representative of local five nine one one that there is a severe shortage of nine one one operators.
3:04:21
People calling 911 were being redirected to an audio recording because no live operator was available.
3:04:28
What is the actual and budgeted headcount for nine eleven technicians and what is their attrition rate and how does this compare to other areas in the department?
Jessica Tisch
3:04:39
Okay.
3:04:40
So for PCT, excuse me, just gotta get to the right page here.
3:04:49
What's that?
3:04:50
Hold on I have it right here.
3:04:51
Okay.
3:04:53
For do you have the this what?
Kristine Ryan
3:05:02
Sorry.
3:05:03
So for the police communication technicians the authorized head count is 1672.
3:05:09
Right now we're at 1456.
3:05:13
So we're about two sixteen below, but there have been reductions over time to that.
Jessica Tisch
3:05:21
So the first priority is obviously to get us our head count to our authorized head count level.
3:05:29
And then once we're there, once we've stabilized there, to see if we need to restore any pegs that have occurred in terms of the overall headcount there.
Yusef Salaam
3:05:40
Do you know on average how long someone waits on hold when they call 911?
Jessica Tisch
3:05:46
I do not have that information but we can get that to you.
3:05:50
But I think it's not how long they're on hold, how long they wait for someone to answer the call.
3:05:59
Are
Yusef Salaam
3:06:03
the calls going to voicemail?
Jessica Tisch
3:06:05
Not to my knowledge.
3:06:07
As I said, when I ran the 911 system, for the city of New York, both at the NYPD and DUET, there was not a certainly not a voicemail system.
3:06:18
But given the feedback, I will look into what the current state is.