Jackson Free Press

Last week, Ward 1 Councilman Ben Allen exploded at the idea of Jackson being shackled to an emergency communication service that may be too costly. Allen also fears the new system may be incompatible with a statewide emergency communications system to emerge later this year, governed by rules of the Department of Homeland Security. Allen and Hinds County Emergency Management Director Larry Fisher argued specifically over the county's eagerness to purchase a Motorola communications system, instead of waiting for the state to pick its own system (which would finance Jackson's system in the process).

While the battle rages, with Allen threatening an injunction to stop the county, one employee at the city's 911 emergency service thinks priorities are getting misplaced.

"The city's 911 service are the ones who make the Police Department and the Fire Department work, but we don't have paper, pencils, telephones, headset or even chairs," complained the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their job.

"You have to come in early and fight for a chair. We have about 11 or 12 people each shift, but we have nine chairs. The chairs we do have are falling apart and raggedy, and the carpet is black and filthy. The phone jacks have to be taped in, or they fall out. 911 should be a well-funded organization, right? Only no money is going to Jackson 911. They're talking about the Motorola upgrade, but let's get the basics down first. The upgrades are no good if you don't even have a basic phone to answer the system on."

The source complains that the city's emergency answering system, which fields thousands of calls each year, is using computer systems older than a decade.

Just weeks ago, on New Year's Eve, that computer system crashed, forcing phone operators to use a manual system without computer-assisted support. The source also complained that morale is very low at the answering service, which operates under the Jackson Police Department.

"Everybody's quitting and dropping off like flies. We haven't had a raise in five years. We're paid way up under the scale for dispatchers," said the source, which also complained that staff shortages were dramatically effecting work schedules. The source says dispatchers make $24,000 to $26,000 a year.

"Women with families are now having to get up and come to work from 2 a.m. until 10 a.m. We have comp time, but there's no overtime. There's no training in the department. It's like we're running in Mayberry. No one's happy there now."

The source says schedule problems were not helped by a hiring freeze that the new administration imposed on the department.

"We were able to fill positions in the last administration. ... This administration, we really hoped, was going to be a blessing, but we feel like we're under a curse," the source said.

Public Safety Communications Manager Veria Wright confirmed that there was a breakdown in the system this past New Year's Eve, but pointed out that the system worked fine on manual.

"We were still taking calls. What went down on New Year's Eve was our computer-aided dispatch system. Not our telephones, not our radios, just an easier way of dispatching," Wright said.

Wright also admitted that the department was in need of chairs and new equipment because a 24-hour service like the 911 department tends to wear out equipment quickly. She said that staff shortages have slowed response time in some cases. So police are sometimes slower to arrive to emergencies because of inadequate 911 staffing.

As for the hiring freeze, Wright says it is "not a hiring freeze per se, but we have not been allowed to hire."

Wright says federal grant money will hopefully help buy new equipment for the department, possibly within a month.

Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes said he was not surprised at equipment or staff shortfalls, saying money would be tight in the city's budget.

"The problem is, though, that you cannot have another tax increase on the citizens of this city. They can't take it, and I don't think they're willing to pay for it," Stokes said.

Previous Comments

ID

65186

Comment

Maybe he doesn't want one for his ward. I don't want one but i understand the reasoning behind it. I love escrow sort of and homestead taxes keep it low enough to not get in a hissy about it. What taxes are proposed? I have mentioned this but other counties are switching to the new systems and are quite happy, we're talking touch screens that send the info to whichever car/deptartment that is closest. Jackson should be the flagship of the state not lagging behind petal.

Author

*SuperStar*

Date

2006-02-02T09:58:54-06:00

ID

65187

Comment

What a shame a city with the crime problems Jackson has doesn't have the leadership needed to supply the 911 employees the equipment, supplies and furniture they need to do their jobs. Making sure 911 is effective should be one of the first things a new Mayor who has pledge to reduce crime looks at. I seems as though Ben Allen is the only person who has any familiarity with the equipment needs.

Author

realtime

Date

2006-02-04T22:08:30-06:00