KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability and solutions. Share your story with Isabella
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The proposal to merge the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department's 911 dispatch center with the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department's is moving forward.
But this doesn't immediately fix the issue of 911 callers waiting several minutes before someone at the dispatch center answers the call.
Kansas City residents are waiting an average of 51 seconds when they call the 911 emergency line — a longer wait time than any of the other surrounding counties in Missouri, according to the Mid-America Regional Council.
Kansas City resident John King experienced the problem in mid-September.
"It's very concerning," King said.
King explained he called 911 when a city dump truck crashed into a bridge on Cookingham Drive.
That crash then caused a motorcyclist to spin out on the oil.
"I was on hold for probably three or four minutes," King said. "Thankfully nobody was seriously injured, because if they were, it would have been the difference between life and death."
While recalling what happened, King explained another witness actually went to the nearby fire station to get help after no one was answering when he called 911.
"You can drive down the street and get help quicker than the system that's supposed to get help when you need it," King said.
The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council recognizes it's a concerning issue, which is why they passed a resolution on Thursday that could combine police and fire 911 dispatch.
"We've really tried to address [the hold times] through staffing and hiring additional call takers, but we really need to look at the system in its entirety and look at what we can be doing more efficiently," KCMO Councilman Crispin Rea said.
But the resolution doesn't immediately fix the hold times.
The approved proposal means the KCMO City Manager Brian Platt has to discuss the merger with the Missouri Board of Police Commissioners, who ultimately have the final say with KCPD.
"We cannot direct them to do anything; we're directing the city manager to work with the entities that are in involved in this to come up with a solution," KCMO Councilwoman Andrea Bough said at Thursday's meeting.
Therefore, the KCMO City Council will also be placed on hold for 45 days until the city manager reports back.
Residents like King hope to see a solution soon.
"I think they need to do something," King said. "Something is better than nothing, something needs to be done."
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