KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you call 911, the last thing you want is to be put on hold. Unfortunately, as 41 Action News has reported, that has been happening to callers across the city.
But the Kansas City Police Department said Tuesday it has nearly cut hold times in half since last fall.
During a Board of Police Commissioners meeting, Deputy Chief Roger Lewis announced the average wait last month was 17 seconds. That's down from September's average of 30 seconds.
"Frankly, I think we're just paying more attention to it. We're concentrating our efforts much more in that area than maybe we have in the past," Lewis told the board.
The department credits the improvement to much-needed hires in the unit. In a September blog post, Chief Rick Smith said there were 14 vacant positions, which put a huge strain on existing call-takers and dispatchers.
"We don't have the resources, the availability, to give the men and women that do that job a break to unplug, walk away from the console, cry if they need to," Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 99 President Brad Lemon said of the crisis.
During Tuesday's meeting Lewis announced there are now just 5 openings. However, there will soon be more positions to fill.
Smith first asked for funding for 21 more dispatchers for the next fiscal year. In its proposed budget presented in February, the city provided funding for eight. After more discussions and public hearings, the city was able to add in seven more dispatcher positions, provided they're hired later on in the year.
Similarly, the department will now get 24 of the 30 officers requested. Nine of those positions will be filled mid-year.
"They've really made a good faith effort...to find money to really do what the people of Kansas City have been asking them to do, which is fund police officers," Lemon said of the council.
The budget will go before City Council on Thursday.
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