PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police officials acknowledged Wednesday that calls to 911 often are not answered quickly enough, and sometimes aren’t answered at all.
Police Deputy Commissioner Christine Coulter said during a City Council budget hearing that 911 has been overwhelmed this year.
"There are some days where we have 8,000 to 9,000 calls, which is considerably up from where we were last year which was about 5,000 calls per day," said Coulter.
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She explained that there is "over-ring protocol," where supervisors and administrative staff are supposed to answer.
"We need to do a much better job," Coulter said.
The nearly four-hour budget hearing got off to a rocky start when Commissioner Danielle Outlaw defended officers’ right to live outside the city.
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Council president Darrell Clarke had asked about the residency requirement Council passed last year, expecting her endorsement.
"I’m actually kind of surprised at your answer to this question. From my perspective it was kind of a softball, but I’m glad you’re being frank and honest," Clarke said.
"I’m being frank in the sense that, it’s really an individual, since you’re asking and I appreciate your asking, it really depends on the individual officer," Outlaw responded.
Deputy Commissioner Robin Wimberly said the department is working to get more city residents on the force, but said one obstacle was many local recruits' inability to pass both the reading and agility tests.