Madison police officers are skeptical they have the adequate processes and staffing in place to respond to every dropped 911 call in which the caller does not pick up on a return call, a policy introduced by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
Furthermore, some 911 Center officials are concerned the new software will be difficult to grow accustomed to given the tried-and-true nature of the old systems.
Falk has pressed the change since the homicide of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Zimmermann last April, when a call from her cell phone to the 911 Center did not spark an immediate police response.
However, Capt. Joe Balles of the Madison Police Department said the debate concerning the addition of the priority dispatch is based on the assumption every police agency in Dane County dispatched by the 911 Center can react to a crime in the same manner.
Balles said priority fire dispatch and priority ambulance dispatch disciplines are very specialized, so all emergencies are reacted to with the same approach. However, the resources dispatched for a police service varies from department to department.
Subsequently, because downtown Madison has such a high demand for MPD service, Balles said there are not enough officers on the payroll to manage every call.
MPD needs to cost effectively meet the demands of the county, Balles continued, adding the people of Madison are in agreement with that.
Falk introduced police priority dispatch as part of the 2009 budget, but the new system has yet to be approved by the Operating Practice Committee of the 911 Center Board.
The priority police dispatching system is scripted software a 911 Center communicator uses when getting an enforcement call, said Falk’s Chief of Staff Topf Wells.
“It is a system that has been worked out — (at) a nationally recognized convention — where you have very carefully set up questions that result in as consistent and as sound a decision as we could possibly get when it comes to dispatching police and police resources,” Wells said.
The caller’s response is then plugged into the software and the incident is categorized and prioritized. Furthermore, the program ensures the proper dispatch of resources relating to the incident.
However, the software system is stirring up debate with many of the center’s veteran communicators, said Ron Boylan, chair of the 911 Center Board.
“[These] are people who have been professional communicators for a long time,” Boylan said. “Now to have to change the way you do things 180 degrees pushes back some people who are comfortable with the quality assurance question and answer protocols they’ve been using for decades.”
The new dispatch services would restrict the work environment, Wells said, adding the dispatchers would not be allowed to devise their own questions and develop their own opinions concerning a particular case.
Wells also said the new dispatch system has a very rigorous training program.
The priority EMS dispatch was introduced in 2002 and the priority fire dispatch was initiated in 2007. The priority police dispatch is proposed for the third and fourth quarter of 2009 or the beginning of 2010, Boylan said.
To install the software, train staff and agencies, and “go live” is a one- to two-year process, Wells said, mentioning he would be surprised if any law enforcement agency did not have questions regarding the dispatching system.
Balles said it is ultimately the 911 Center Board’s decision to endorse the software and although Falk is promoting the system, she is not a member of the board.
He added the center’s board sets policies and procedures, and said he believes Falk is taking responsibility for “what’s going on in the 911 Center.”
“She’s saying it’s going to happen,” Balles said. “(It) has not been totally endorsed yet. It’s a vetting process.”
