An examination of how New Orleans handles 911 calls shows serious calls sometimes get downplayed, according to a report by the court-appointed independent police monitor.
The 27-page report found 43 percent of emergency calls originally classified as "Code 2," meaning police should respond with lights and siren, were de-prioritized to non-emergency by either NOPD or the Orleans Parish Communications District, which runs the 911 center.
OPCD director Karl Fasold says the problem dovetails with the lack of officer power the police department has been dealing with for years now.
"The current protocol is, if there are units available to respond to a call, for whatever discipline it is, they're dispatched," said Fasold. "If there are no units available, then the supervisor within that agency is contacted and advised of the holding call."
Fasold said 911 operators try to pick up the calls as soon as possible, but the OPCD itself is understaffed, only around two-thirds of their goal.
"We'll get 80 percent of incoming 911 emergency calls answered within ten seconds or less," he said.
The independent monitor's reports said a lot of the de-prioritization happens on domestic abuse calls, because the perpetrator is usually gone by the time the police arrive.