Police chief: Non-emergency callers are inundating 911 emergency number
The Colorado Springs police chief said people with non-emergency calls are inundating the 911 emergency line leading to longer wait times for callers.
During the month of August, Colorado Springs police received 977 emergency calls into its call center and 1,137 non-emergency calls. CSPD Public Safety Communications Manager Renee Henshaw said call takers would like to be able to answer a 911 call within 10 seconds, and in August, they took an average of 35 seconds.
Calls provided by CSPD show people calling 911 to ask for the time and another caller asked for the number for a pizza joint. One caller asked if police could go shut her garage door. Two children also called repeatedly throughout the day and tied up the lines.
“I think over the years, the easy accessibility to cellphones and the easy accessibility to us, that there has been an abuse of system,” said Henshaw.”People’s need for immediate access to information, they’ll call 911 without giving it a second thought.”
Police Chief Pete Carey said he’s concerned that buried in the middle of non-emergency calls, is someone who’s fighting for their life.
“What keeps me up at night is between call number 38 and call number 39… it’s a domestic violence call,” said Carey.
He said it’s critical that the public understand that the 9-1 emergency line is reserved for people with life-threatening emergencies.
“I don’t think it’s an intentional problem for most people when they call. They know when they dial 911, someone is going to pick up. They don’t realize it is actually being pushed in front of a true emergency,” said Carey.
Henshaw and Carey said another problem facing the call center is staffing. Right now, the call center is authorized to staff 47 employees. However, they currently employ 41. Henshaw said it’s difficult to fill positions.
Henshaw said it isn’t just a problem for CSPD, call centers across the nation have a difficult time finding the right people.
“There are a lot of people that want to do it but when they get out there and try, it’s not a good fit. It’s too much multi-tasking or it’s too emotionally traumatic and they move on to the next job,” said Henshaw.
“Money isn’t the problem, it’s making sure people stay in the seats long enough to actually work and be effective,” said Carey.
Carey said if the call center is operating full-staff and if people with non-emergency calls stop calling 911, the wait time for callers will improve drastically.
If you have a non-emergency call, call CSPD’s non-emergency line at 444-7000.
