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Deputies concerned E-911 not always available at key times Complaints about county E-911 staff and procedures were discussed Monday at the E-911 board meeting. Coordinator Becky Neugent attended a Jan. 3 meeting with deputies at the sheriff's department. The deputies complained that some of the dispatchers were not at their stations at key times. However, the deputies would not give names of the dispatchers nor the date or time the problem occurred, she said. Without detailed information concerning the complaints, Neugent said the only solution she has is to install a video system to monitor the actions of the dispatchers. Neugent will seek prices for a four-camera system with a DVR and bring the proposal to the next board meeting. Video surveillance would be backed up on DVD discs. There is money for the video system in the current E-911 budget, she said. Neugent already makes spot checks of dispatcher logs and random visits to the E-911 center. However, she had previously refrained from putting video surveillance in the 911 center. "I never wanted to be that person who would do that," she said, because she trusted the employees to do the work. "They are entrusted to do a good job for the residents of the county. "Deputies should not be scared that if they call nobody is there to answer them," she said. Clarke County Commission Chairman Joe Hunt was concerned that deputies would not name the dispatchers or say what shift it was. Commissioner Rhondel Rhone also felt people should sign their name to a complaint. The E-911 board asks that complaints about the service be put into writing. "Most of these complaints would not necessarily be viewed by us (the county commission) as somebody trying to get somebody in trouble," said Commissioner Paul Bradford. "It's a fact that we've got a job to do for the citizens, and we have to make sure it is getting done. If we've got somebody that is not doing what they're supposed to be doing or something that needs to be changed, we need to know all the circumstances." County Emergency Management Director Roy Waite, a member of the E-911 Advisory Board, said a written complaint would protect both the person making the complain and E-911. "We have something documented - not just going on hearsay," he said. There was also a complaint from the Salitpa Volunteer Fire Department concerning a 25 to 30-minute lag time in being called out on a Jan. 2 automobile wreck. Two E-911 employees were disciplined, Neugent said. Another complaint involved the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department not being called out for a Dec. 31 fire on Highway 84 east. The call came into 911 from a cell phone, she said, and the person gave a Whatley address. In other action from Monday's meeting, statistics from December were released. There were 1,030 incoming E- 911 calls. There were 1,530 incoming and 1,105 outgoing administration calls. Average ring time was three seconds. There were 9,367 radio transactions. E-911 responded to 575 calls for service.
Neugent reported that Mondays and Thursdays were the busiest days, and 2 p.m. was the busiest time.
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