911 dispatchers rack up long hours of overtime

Some employees are working 60- to 80-hour weeks, earning more in OT than in regular pay. Last year OT cost $645,258.

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ST. PETERSBURG - Lucinda Kennedy, 47, has a pressure-packed job.

Telephones in the 911 center at the St. Petersburg Police Department never stop ringing. She answers call after call, sometimes more than a dozen an hour. Battered women. People with bullet wounds. Homeowners missing valuables.

All of which makes Kennedy's feat earlier this year even more remarkable:

She worked 63 days in a row.

"That's outrageous," said Bill LauBach, executive director of the Pinellas County Police Benevolent Association. "I would have great concerns about her health and her safety, and I'd also have concerns about the accuracy of what she's doing."

Kennedy's work schedule is not the only sign of problems in the 911 center, the pivotal link in the city's ability to respond to life-and-death emergencies.

- Overtime in the 911 center has cost St. Petersburg taxpayers more than $600,000 annually for three consecutive years. That's more than the annual cost of an expanded take-home police car program aimed at retaining officers.

- Some call-takers and dispatchers log 60- to 80-hour weeks, making more in overtime than in regular salary. One call-taker in 2000 made $35,774 in regular pay, $45,920 in overtime.

- Concerned about safety and cost amid the city's $10-million budget shortfall, police have resorted to limiting overtime hours for call-takers and dispatchers.

On Monday, a consultant studying staffing in the 911 center will present a report to St. Petersburg police Chief Chuck Harmon, who insists public safety has not been jeopardized.

"I can't think of a time as chief when there's been an issue where somebody made a mistake as a result of being tired or overworked," Harmon said. "I'm very happy with their efficiency and productivity."

Christine Davis, a 911 dispatcher, earns $20.34 an hour.

She is the link to 35 officers on the street and juggles 30 to 40 emergencies an hour. She makes split-second decisions about where officers go, and when. She decides whether to pull them off a call and send them to a bigger emergency across the city.

Last year, she earned $72,493. Nearly half, $32,453, was overtime.

That was part of the 911 center's overall overtime tab of $645,258, more than any other division in the police department and twice as much as the Tampa Police Department's 911 center, which has 13 more positions and about the same number of service calls.

Davis, 44, declined to be interviewed for this story. But Pat McNamara, a St. Petersburg 911 dispatcher for 161/2 years, said, "I don't like the implication that we're getting rich. We're here working a very difficult job and doing it for way more hours than we should be because the city needs us."

Police administrators say high turnover is the crux of the overtime problem, yet they acknowledge they have left openings vacant, hoping to save on employee benefit costs.

"We have, as a matter of practice, not made it a priority to staff all of the vacancies we've had because we had overtime available," said Michael McDonald, the 911 center manager.

McDonald and others believe the department has turned the corner on the overtime issue. As of the end of March, there were four dispatcher vacancies, 16 call-taker openings and 22 people in training.

If past years are any gauge, however, the department still has cause for concern.

The police department has trouble keeping call-takers, who answer calls from the public, and dispatchers, who refer the information to officers. Since 1999, 50 call-takers or dispatchers have quit, many leaving after a year or less.

"It's a very demanding job. That's why it's hard to fill the positions," Assistant police Chief Debbie Prine said.

In fact, 911 centers across the country are struggling to retain call-takers and dispatchers. The shortage has led to high overtime bills at many agencies.

"If you've got vacant positions and you've got the phone ringing, what is a manager going to do? Say, "No, we're going to close?"' said Steve Souder, a 911 center director in Maryland.

In a national survey by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, dispatchers said working conditions are the primary reason they leave the field.

The association, based in Daytona Beach, and the National Institute of Justice will develop staffing standards for cities to consider. The project will take two years and may include hours a dispatcher or call-taker should work.

"If you don't have enough call takers and dispatchers on duty, and they're working so many hours of overtime that they're being burned out, that certainly is an aspect that can affect officer safety," said Souder, a member working on the project.

For call-taker Rebecca Medley, the $13,287 she brought home in overtime last year helped with bills. But she won't work more than 12 hours straight.

"I end up loopy," said Medley, 41, who has worked in the 911 center 141/2 years.

Other call-takers and dispatchers work longer stretches.

One week last May, dispatcher Tina Gardner's time card looked like this: Sunday, eight overtime hours; Monday, 16 overtime hours; Tuesday, another 16 overtime hours. Wednesday, a regular eight-hour shift.

Her 2002 overtime was $27,372.

Gardner, 45, a 23-year employee, declined to be interviewed for this story. But McDonald, the 911 center manager, and Prine, the assistant police chief, say the department has not had any circumstances in which a call-taker or dispatcher made an error attributed to long work hours.

"We haven't had any make mistakes because they appeared fatigued," Prine said.

Still, the toll on workers raises concerns about public safety.

"It almost should be like a doctor," said City Council member Richard Kriseman. "They're not permitted to work beyond a certain number of hours because there's a fear if they're not well-rested, they might make a mistake."

Overtime was unlimited until a cap was set more than a year ago. Last July, that cap was lowered to no more than 40 overtime hours in two weeks.

"This change will assist in a number of areas ... as well as help reduce OT-induced fatigue or stress on our employees," McDonald, the 911 center manager, wrote in a memorandum.

But last month, after being "extremely short-staffed in the dispatch area," McDonald authorized supervisors to allow 48 overtime hours within two weeks.

"This situation will likely continue for the next three to six months or until a sufficient number of qualified dispatchers are readily available for routine staffing," he said in a March 7 memo.

Joel Pilcher, a 911 center supervisor and 26-year employee, said working conditions have improved since last year. The city renovated the center and bought new chairs with back support.

"I'm happier now than I've ever been," Pilcher said.

And administrators say they are working to reduce overtime.

On Monday, consultant Peter Bellmio will tell officials they should adjust the shifts of call-takers and dispatchers to match busy times. Too many people are working during slow periods.

"Overtime dollars are being spent to meet shortages that seem to be, in part, a result of the current scheduling system," Bellmio said in a draft report.

According to city records, overtime has dropped 29 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year.

But, police officials acknowledge, resignations or promotions could send overtime up.

"I prefer to see a more equitable distribution of overtime hours," said McDonald, the 911 center manager. "It's healthier for all involved."

- Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report. Leanora Minai may be reached at (727) 893-8406.

Pay per hour: $20.34

Hours worked in 2002: 2,940

Base salary in 2002: $40,040

Overtime salary in 2002: $32,453

Total pay in 2002: $72,493

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