Ada Police Say 911 Dispatchers Put Officers' Lives in Danger

When you call 911, you count on immediate help, but police in Ada say there's a dispatching dilemma that's left the entire force in critical condition.

Monday, October 12th 2009, 11:24 pm

By: News 9


By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

ADA, Oklahoma -- When you call 911, you count on immediate help, but police in Ada say there's a dispatching dilemma that's left the entire force in critical condition.

“It's not an exaggeration to say that people's lives hang in the balance anytime there's a 911 call,” said Mark Bratcher, the City of Ada spokesman.

When you dial 911, there are people who answer the call for help but police in Ada say these are the same people putting their lives on the line. Ada police claim dispatchers at the city's Central Dispatch are often distracted, under-trained and under-staffed.

Police say that's a problem since the dispatchers are sometimes their only lines of communication when faced with a dangerous situation. In fact, the police department's union recently declared a "vote of no confidence" in the dispatchers.

The union's president wrote a letter to NEWS 9 stating "The Police Officers of ADA FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) #111 believe that in the present state the City of Ada administered 911 Central Dispatch poses a significant threat to the lives and safety of the officers of Ada."

To help figure out what to do about these problems, all sides met to discuss the union's concerns, but the doors were locked and NEWS 9’s cameras were not allowed in. Following the 90 minute meeting, both sides emerged with a plan.

The city has agreed to update old radio equipment and towers to improve the lines of communication. There's also talk of a task force and plans to provide additional training for dispatchers with the help of police officers.

“That way they're going to actually help create some of the new training so that they can bring their concerns straight to the department, so the department can figure out the best way to dispatch for the police department,” said Bratcher.

Officers, who say their concerns have fallen on deaf ears for some time now, say it's a start, and it's a plan their willing to try for the sake of public safety.

Supervisors from both the police department and the 911 center are scheduled to meet Tuesday to begin developing their new training procedures.

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