ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The City of St. Louis tries to fix problems with the 911 emergency system, amid reports of chronic busy signals. Public Safety Director, Judge Jimmy Edwards tells KMOX some new software went online this week to help weed out the non-emergency calls..
The potential solution comes after the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 30% of all 911 calls last year were put on hold, which is up from 25% in 2019.
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Edwards says it is due in part to an error in their system.
"Unfortunately we were getting the 211 number or non-emergency number was put in the cue with the 911 number and so the operator was just going down in the sequential order," Edwards says. "Having a dealy in 30% of 911 calls is just simply unacceptable to the city of St. Louis. Certainly to me. I recognize however that our 911 dispatchers are working extremely hard."
Edwards says another big problem is under staffing. He says there are 21 vacant positions for 911 operators with police, fire and EMS. Too many operators are quitting, he says, because they can make about $10,000 more a year doing the same job someplace else.
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