10 September 2021

Philadelphia PD's Hiring Problems

Is anyone shocked that people don't want to be cops or work in 911? Police struggle to hire officers and 911 dispatchers as homicides and shootings increase

People have been having trouble reaching 911 in a "reasonable amount of time." And because of that, they hang up and dial again.

Once you get to talk to an 911 operator, then you have to wait for police.

“I called 911, they never picked up. I hung up and called again and then they picked up. The police came about 20 minutes later,” said [Roz] Pichardo, who added that doctors ordered her to undergo medical treatment for a month to ward off infection.

That was in reaction to an attack with a syringe.

While the PD is only down about 6 percent from its "authorized headcount," I'm not sure that statistic tells the whole story. Philadelphia has seen an increase in crime - and requirements for police services - in an era where politicians think it is a good idea to cut police departments' budgets. And then wonder why could 911 response time be increasing.

To solve the 911 dispatcher problem they are requiring weekend, overtime shifts. That way leads to burnout, but they need people to answer the phones. Of course if the extra overtime drives people to quit, they will be in even worse shape.

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