The merger of 911 operations between Pasco County and the sheriff’s office is a work-in-progress, and no one would say it has been without problems.
But County Administrator Michele Baker and Sheriff Chris Nocco say they will try to mend what Nocco describes as a “broken partnership.”
That could mean tweaking the nearly two-year-old agreement that brought the emergency call center under the county’s supervision.
“We’ll sit down immediately and go through the interlocal agreement and bring something back (to the commissioners),” said Baker in response to criticisms about the call center’s operations.
Nocco would like management hires for the center to be shared equally between his office and the county, with each having a veto. His immediate concern is hiring a director. The position has been vacant since the resignation of its first director in September.
Nocco also wants a lieutenant from his office to be named assistant director. Baker said she supports the request, calling it “brilliant.” She also assured Nocco he would be consulted on the director’s selection.
The sheriff brought his concerns about the call center to county commissioners at their March 24 meeting. First responders, including deputies and firefighters, filled the boardroom.
“That’s all we want is a partnership,” Nocco said. “The reason we are speaking up is because the partnership has failed.”
Among complaints were a lack of leadership, training, quality control and urgency in responding to 911 calls.
Nocco and some of his deputies cited troubling incidents.
They said a deputy was sent to the wrong address. A dispatcher delayed passing along a resident’s tip that might have led to the arrest of a murder suspect. A dispatcher advised a woman caller to step outside her house to see if a man armed with a knife was still present. A dispatcher ignored a deputy’s request for backup at a crime scene. And residents have complained about unanswered and dropped calls.
“Those are unfortunate situations, and our operators were wrong,” Baker said
But she defended the overall progress and operations of the call center.
It meets industry standards with more than 99 percent of calls answered within 20 seconds, she said.
“The staff who work in that communications center are great people,” Baker said. “They are feeling a little maligned right now because they are struggling.”
Prior to the merger, Baker as then-assistant county administrator participated in a study of other call centers that dealt with consolidation. Generally the process took three years to four years, Baker said.
Pasco opted to accelerate that time frame and is now a year-and-a-half into the merger, she added.
On March 31, eight new hires were scheduled to begin working at the call center. New dispatching software also is ready for use. And she said 100 percent of staff members are cross-trained in working with law enforcement, medical and fire rescue calls.
“Are they really experienced yet? Not so much,” Baker said. “But it takes time to become comfortable.”
Nocco said training for new hires is insufficient, and some basics, such as drug testing, are overlooked.
Commissioner Mike Wells Jr., said he found the hiring and training process for the call center “alarming. We need to relook at these things. We need the best of the best.”
Published April 1, 2015
