PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city has been working to make improvements to its 911 dispatch system ever since a tragic incident last summer, when dispatchers sent police officers in the wrong in response to a fatal shooting in Kingsessing.
A public safety committee made up of members of City Council and the Philadelphia Police Department examined several things, including understaffing, low morale and low wages for dispatchers. Many earn less than their counterparts in neighboring counties — some, by as much as $15,000 per year.
That's according to Gordon Zimmitt, president of AFSCME Local 1637, the union that represents 911 dispatchers in the city. Zimmitt says pay is being increased towards a national standard and a career advancement program has been created to address understaffing and retention issues — just a couple of ways to show appreciation for the 300 dispatchers currently in Philadelphia.
"Those are small — and I mean very small — tokens of our appreciation to them, but it goes a long way with knowing that we hear their voices, we hear their concerns, and it’s a joint effort,” Zimmitt said.
"No one calls 911 to say ‘Thank you,’” he said. “Everyone calls 911 to say, ‘Help.’"
Dispatcher recruitment efforts are underway, and additional supervisors are being added to the radio room. In addition, policy changes have been made to improve communications among caller, dispatcher and police officers.
"So now when individuals call for assistance, the first thing that they are asked by our dispatcher is: ‘What is your location?’ and ‘Is there a directional indicator?’ That way, immediately the individual can give that information, and that is recorded, and that is the first information we get to get to them as quickly and efficiently as possible," said Deputy Police Commissioner Krista Dahl-Campbell, who has been involved in the effort to improve public safety.
In July of last year, dispatchers sent police officers to North 56th Street for a shooting instead of South 56 Street. That shooting victim later died, and the gunman returned to the location later to shoot and kill four others.
Tools to improve response are also being added, including a high-tech system allowing dispatchers to see where police cars are located in real time. That system should be online in the spring.