PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s police radio dispatch system is the target of a resolution that is expected to be introduced in City Council on Thursday. It calls for hearings into dropped 911 calls and other mistakes that have left residents frustrated.
Council has probed the issue before, but resolution co-sponsor Jamie Gauthier said the Kingsessing mass shooting in July showed that problems persist. Police missed a murder — believed to be committed by the alleged shooter two days before the attack that killed four other people — because officers were dispatched to the wrong address.
“We saw how problems with 911 can lead to catastrophic consequences,” said Gauthier.
She recalled another instance in which a member of her staff woke up one morning to find bullet holes in her wall. “She called 911 but she eventually hung up after waiting for someone to pick up the phone,” she said.
Gauthier said police have told her they answer 95% of calls within 10 seconds, but that’s no solace to those who get no answer, especially as the city’s raging gun violence crisis creates high call volumes.
“Philadelphians need to know when they call 911 during an emergency, during what could be the worst moment of their life, they need to receive help every single time,” she said.
Co-sponsor Curtis Jones said the committee would explore those slow responses. He had co-sponsored the previous hearing that found understaffing and low morale contributed to the problems.
“I think we can instill protocols that keep us from making the few mistakes that they make,” Jones added.