ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - KMOX has obtained an inter communication from the St. Louis Police Department regarding the critical shortage of police dispatchers and 9-1-1 operators.
This comes following last weekend's incident where the parent of a child having a seizure in a Downtown parking lot, was not able to get anyone to answer 9-1-1 for 25 minutes.
The inter-communication KMOX received said there would be only three dispatchers for the entire afternoon shift for all six districts, plus a special communications channel and no information dispatcher. The Afternoon Saturday shift from 1430 to 2230.
The memo goes on to tell officers if you have an emergency and cannot get on the air, "utilize your emergency buttons." additionally it says "keeping self initiated activity to a minimum will be appreciated."
In closing, it says we are also short staffed on 911 call takers so please refrain from calling communications unless it's an emergency.
KMOX reached out to the police public information department and are waiting for a response
