Philly 911 system is improving, but city leaders see more room for growth

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Philadelphia City Council members toured the city’s 911 center at police headquarters to get an update on a series of improvements implemented in recent months. While some progress has been made, city leaders admit there is still much to do to help dispatchers.

Call center workers who are members of District Council 33 of AFSCME got a 5% pay boost over what other city workers received. The boost over other Philly workers comes because their pay was so far below what dispatchers in the suburbs get. That disparity caused high turnover for city dispatchers, who often left for better jobs out of town.

Gordon Zimmitt heads up Local 1637 of the union, representing the men and women working in the call center. He said they make $10,000 less than similar workers outside the city in other police departments. Those suburban workers also have a lighter load of calls for service.

Issues at the 911 center were thrust into the spotlight last summer when a man was shot and killed on July 2 on South 56th Street. Police were mistakenly dispatched to North 56th Street instead. The body of the victim wasn’t discovered for 24 hours when the accused killer returned to the scene of the crime on South 56th and killed four more people, including a 15-year-old boy.

“When people call 911, they are most likely experiencing the most traumatizing and scariest moments of their lives,” said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier. “We have a responsibility to make sure they get the help that they need.”

She said that council provided extra funding this year to give the workers a raise.

“At last year’s hearing, the Public Safety Committee identified several action items that would help this call center operate more effectively, such as bringing dispatcher salaries in line with the regional average, creating a career pathway for veteran dispatchers and process changes as well,” Gauthier said.

She believes that significant changes have been made since last summer’s error.

“Philadelphians can rest easier knowing that our 911 call center has never been better equipped to provide every single caller with professional and responsive service,” she said. “We proved to the Kingsessing community and residents citywide that we are working hard to keep their trust.”

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel admitted the 911 workers have been underpaid and underappreciated.

“We have a lot of work to do to make sure that these men and women in this room feel just as valued as the officers that we have on the street because what they endure is substantial,” he said.

After talking with reporters, Public Safety Director Adam Geer walked around the call center, thanking each worker individually. He said the lack of a “supervisory track” for the workers to advance in their careers was a significant issue that has been addressed. They’ve also implemented a hiring program designed to assist the expansion of career advancement.

“It’s critically important to me, seeing that with my own eyes and understanding the trauma that they are taking on by dealing with these calls day-in, day-out, day-in, day-out, and then knowing that there’s a pay inequity for this work,” Geer said.

Commissioner Bethel said workers could match their suburban counterpart’s salary if they were willing to work overtime. There are currently about 300 workers on the job, and the city has budgeted for 360. Bethel said the city is doing its best to recruit more people.