Staff not adequate for growing area, officials say
By Donna Fielder
The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 2007 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DENTON, Texas — A sign in Capt. Michelle Pena’s office reads “911 is my work number.” And that is true in more than one way.
Capt. Pena supervises the Denton County sheriff’s office communications department, where the telephone rings on average once every 90 seconds, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
The office dispatches emergency calls for 17 law enforcement agencies and 12 fire departments, plus Highway Patrol troopers, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officers, medical examiner’s investigators, park rangers and six constables’ offices.
Today, the office is racing toward a crisis of its own.
In the last four years, the workload in the communications center has grown nearly 55 percent. But during that time, one dispatcher position has been added. And the tiny office lacks space for even one more workstation.
“How are we absorbing that increase? With the current work space and more staff, we can continue to do what we’re doing another 18 months,” Capt. Pena said. “I think customer service is suffering.”
Denton County Sheriff Benny Parkey said the tremendous growth of the county and some of its cities has caused the dispatchers’ work to jump dramatically.
Corinth and Little Elm, once tiny communities with only one officer on duty at a time, are each approaching populations of 20,000 with large police forces. Corinth generates 11 percent of dispatchers’ workload, according to 2005-06 figures. Little Elm accounts for more than 9 percent.
Sheriff’s deputies and the Aubrey Fire Department now serve municipal utility districts with burgeoning populations such as Savannah, adding tremendously to the calls for service.
“We do a good job with what we have, but we’re at the breaking point,” Sheriff Parkey said. “We’re either going to have to cut back, which I don’t think is a viable option, or step up to the plate.”
Use of cellphones has greatly affected the workload, he said. Every accident generates numerous calls, including some from frustrated drivers wondering why roads are shut down.
Usually, three dispatchers work on radio traffic at a time, while another handles telephone calls. A sergeant also is on duty and helps out when the others are overwhelmed. One dispatcher handles radio traffic for all the fire departments and emergency medical services. That person may have to help emergency workers at an automobile accident in Corinth, another accident in Krum and a structure fire in Justin - all at once.
A second dispatcher handles radio traffic from cities’ law enforcement agencies - usually 50 to 60 officers at a time, Capt. Pena said. The third dispatcher handles radio traffic from sheriff’s officers and federal and state agencies. About 50 officers at a time use that channel, she said.
The employee handling incoming phone calls faces a constant stream of 911 calls, administrative calls and problems ranging from stray dogs to calls that should have gone to other agencies and require rerouting.
Dispatchers must prioritize calls so the most urgent situations are handled first.
“When I first came here, it was unheard of to put a 911 call on hold,” Capt. Pena said. “Now, sometimes, we have to.”
For example, a call requiring a dispatcher to give CPR instructions take precedence over a 911 call concerning loud music, she said.
Capt. Pena said her research shows that the Collin County sheriff’s office handles about half the workload that Denton County dispatchers do. Collin County does it with one less dispatcher than Denton County.
Sheriff Parkey said about 70 percent of the workload in the dispatch office comes from other agencies.
“We are overwhelmed with the growth of other agencies,” he said.