• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Boone County Sheriff’s Office solves cold case from nearly 50 years...
        Time to address the status of women in policing today
        Police K-9 comforts Michigan State University students returning to...
        Volkswagen acknowledges policy breach after failing to provide...
        Michigan lieutenant completes DoorDash delivery for pregnant driver...
    • Labor
      • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
        Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
        Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
        New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
        “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
    • Tech
      • One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
        Crypto crime investigations
        Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
        iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
        Nebraska State Patrol uses drone technology to improve traffic flow...
    • Training
      • Realism and stress inoculation in training
        Avoiding conflict and escalation
        U.S. trails in police training
        Denver police recruit has leg amputated after training drill
        Defunding vs. refunding public services
    • Policy
      • Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
        Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
        Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
        Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
        Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Expanding your identity
        Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
        A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
        Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
        My poor coping strategies
    • Community
      • Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
        “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
        Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
        “It was an honor to serve with her”: Kansas first responders...
        Chicago police cook with children to build community relationships
    • Offbeat
      • Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
        Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
        Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
        Suspect hiding in bathtub in Florida calls 9-1-1 to send deputies to...
        Person in ‘Scream’ costume frightens California community,...
    • We Remember
      • Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
        Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
        “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
        “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
  • On the Job
    • Boone County Sheriff’s Office solves cold case from nearly 50 years...
      Time to address the status of women in policing today
      Police K-9 comforts Michigan State University students returning to...
      Volkswagen acknowledges policy breach after failing to provide...
      Michigan lieutenant completes DoorDash delivery for pregnant driver...
  • Labor
    • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
      Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
      Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
      New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
      “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
  • Tech
    • One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
      Crypto crime investigations
      Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
      iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
      Nebraska State Patrol uses drone technology to improve traffic flow...
  • Training
    • Realism and stress inoculation in training
      Avoiding conflict and escalation
      U.S. trails in police training
      Denver police recruit has leg amputated after training drill
      Defunding vs. refunding public services
  • Policy
    • Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
      Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
      Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
      Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
      Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Expanding your identity
      Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
      A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
      Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
      My poor coping strategies
  • Community
    • Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
      “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
      Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
      “It was an honor to serve with her”: Kansas first responders...
      Chicago police cook with children to build community relationships
  • Offbeat
    • Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
      Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
      Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
      Suspect hiding in bathtub in Florida calls 9-1-1 to send deputies to...
      Person in ‘Scream’ costume frightens California community,...
  • We Remember
    • Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
      Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
      “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
      “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
  • Between the Lines
    • The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Labor

Florida sheriff’s office cites recruitment and retention crisis after 9-1-1 calls go unanswered

APB Team Published May 6, 2022 @ 12:00 pm PDT

iStock.com/releon8211

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida recently told county commissioners it is undergoing a recruitment and retention crisis that has rendered it unable to answer thousands of 9-1-1 calls.

Officials say the agency has 90 vacant communications positions, part of a nationwide shortage of emergency dispatchers.

“We’re going to continue to lose these people,” Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said. “This will always be a problem here whether we want to admit it or not.”

Tony told Broward County commissioners that the agency does not have the funds to attract new dispatchers or keep current employees from finding more lucrative positions elsewhere, not to mention the effects of the COVID pandemic and high rates of burnout in the profession.

The sheriff’s office’s staffing problems came to light after an investigation by the South Florida Sun Sentineldiscovered thousands of unanswered 9-1-1 calls. The paper found that abandoned calls, meaning calls that are disconnected before they are answered, increased by 26% from 2019 to 2021.

In February this year, the department recorded 14,505 abandoned calls. The sheriff’s office blamed high stress and low pay for the staffing shortage and the inability to answer all calls.

Broward County commissioners believe the problem must be fixed immediately. They urged the sheriff to give dispatchers raises of up to $10,000 to keep them from leaving, or to calculate a dollar amount needed to fill the vacant positions.

“Give everybody a raise … and you won’t lose anybody,” Commissioner Mark Bogen told the sheriff. “You got the money to do that right now without us giving you a penny.”

However, the sheriff was not going to rush into a decision.

“I’m not going to make random or quick decisions that create other problems,” Tony replied, pointing out that the department has to deal with seven different employee unions.

Ultimately, the sheriff’s office and commissioners agreed to hear a presentation from the sheriff at the next County Commission hearing on May 10 to discuss financial relief.

Commissioner Jared Moskowitz said the problem needs an urgent solution. “We’re not built for speed in general, quite frankly,” he said. “I look at this as a real-time problem. Every day matters here. Problems don’t get better with time in emergency management, they get worse. … What happened in this instance was a tragedy, and the sheriff is telling us it’s going to happen again.”

The tragedy Moskowitz was referring to was the case of a woman whose Hollywood home burned down after police failed to respond to her call. The Sun Sentinel also learned of other tragedies due to unanswered calls, including a man with a medical emergency and a baby who died from not being able to breathe.

Moskowitz suggested amounts such as $200,000 and $500,000 to solve the problem. “If dollars help address this, then let’s just appropriate the dollars.”

Sheriff Tony replied: “We’ll come back with a needs request.”

While it wasn’t entirely clear how the county arrived at such a dire situation, Vice Mayor Lamar Fisher reiterated that it needed an immediate resolution. “Let’s not dance around the issue. I want to give you as much money as you need, Sheriff,” he said. “Every second is a second that you can save a life. We’ve all used 9-1-1. It’s unacceptable that it’s always going to be a problem. It has to be cured.”

Fisher said he hoped the sheriff’s office will get the numbers to the commissioners as soon as possible so additional funding can be approved, even perhaps retroactively in May.

Categories: Labor Tags: Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Gregory Tony, commissioners, abandoned calls, staffing short-age, vacancy, Florida, funding, 911 dispatcher, recruitment and retention

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond with kids
  • Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat stuck in tree with cocaine found in its system
  • Realism and stress inoculation in training
  • Boone County Sheriff’s Office solves cold case from nearly 50 years ago using genealogy research
  • Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized shoplifting with legislation and anti-theft operations
  • Expanding your identity
  • “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to Dallas police in memory of loved ones
  • One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested sexual assault kit
  • Avoiding conflict and escalation
  • Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy data

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.