KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, City Council committee approved an ordinance Tuesday that would create a "unified 911" dispatch system for the Kansas City police and fire departments.
The city is attempting to find solutions to a system that often leaves 911 callers on hold waiting for help.
"You’ve reached 911 with Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department. All call takers are currently busy," callers might hear while waiting for a 911 dispatched.
In April, KCPD 911 dispatch implemented a new feature to fix problems they said was slowing down their ability to take calls.
The system automatically calls back anyone who makes a 911 call and hangs up. Abandoned calls are a result of staffing shortages.
“We all know that we’ve been working on this issue for quite some time,” Melesa Johnson, the city's director of public safety, said Tuesday.
Johnson said the issue has been a part of the conversation since February 2021. After a handful of years with minimal changes, Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced the 911 ordinance he hopes is the first step in resolving the issue.
“We can lay out not just for the board of police commissioners but for the people of Kansas City, clear and articulate public policy proposals that basically say, 'These are the solutions we have,'” Lucas said Tuesday.
The National Fire Protection Agency recommends all 911 calls be answered by the Public Safety Answering Point within 15 seconds in 95% of calls.
The Kansas City Fire Department answers calls within 15 seconds in 90% of calls, leaving the city below standards. The 911 recording itself is exactly15 seconds. Lucas says this is something the city can and will resolve.
“This is a fixable problem” Lucas said. “There are many other major American cities where there are tough calls and I understand that is a difficult job. But if they can figure out how to answer a 911 call in a more timely manner than we do in St. Louis, in Chicago, in Detroit, in any number of American cities, why can’t we actually get that done here?"
The full council is set to take up debate on the ordinance during its regular session on Thursday, Sept. 26.
—
