RE: 911:: Staffing

[Guest guest]

> ... I was wondering from this unoficial group

> sampling, how we currently stand on staffing. ...

> 1. What is your authorized staff?

Six

> 2. If you are short, by how many?

Two

> 3. How long have you been below strength?

Since 22 July 2004 (and nobody in the pipeline to

replace them). We were up-to-strength for almost

six months after being short at least one for

over five years.

> 4. What are the primary reason(s) for vacancies?

One moved out of the area with her husband,

another took a position as a sworn officer.

> 5. What would help recruit & maintain staff?

Better advertising. Better pay.

> 6. Do you have any recruiting tips to share?

I wish that I had some.

[Guest guest]

I am absolutely convinced, that in most smaller agencies, and

even in many of the large ones the answer to question # 5

" What would help recruit and maintain staff " has to be

more allocated personnel.

I've glanced through several of the responses and in many

cases the answer to " What is your authorized staff " is

a ridiculously small number.

Tree answered " six " ....

Stop and think... I know of smaller agencies that have

six people, to cover twenty four hours a day, seven

days a week, 365 days a year...

Figure for vacation time, sick days, family leave... and you're

short handed all the time... even when you're at " full staff " .

This leads to a heavy dangerous workload, long hours,

denied time off, forced overtime, terrible schedules and

a multitude of other problems.

When those thing hit, people leave... and guess what?

You're even more short handed, and the problems worsen.

I've preached it before... I believe that most of the problems

in many agencies can be traced back to the fact that they

simply don't have enough people.

Weintraut

[Guest guest]

> 1. What is your authorized staff?

Five

> > 2. If you are short, by how many?

We're not - fully staffed.

> > 3. How long have you been below strength?

n/a

> > 4. What are the primary reason(s) for vacancies?

n/a

> 5. What would help recruit & maintain staff?

n/a

> > 6. Do you have any recruiting tips to share?

(I'm going to regret saying this....I know it). We are at full strength and

have been for 3 1/2 years now. If we were to lose someone, we know of at

least one or two people who would probably come work here if we had an

opening, and thats without any recruiting at all. We absolutely have a

problem recruiting and retaining police officers, which is absolutely

opposite of our dispatch staff. I think our schedule helps...we are on a

shift for a year at a time, everyone rotates days off every month, so the

weekends are equitably shared. We all get a 4 or 5 day break (depending on

if you're on 10 or 8 hr shifts) every few months or so when schedules shift

in a certain direction.

[Guest guest]

I wouldn't go that far...The NYPD Communications

Section Civilianized in May of 1992. All Uniformed

Supervisors and dispatchers were reassigned with the

exception of 2 Captains and one Sergeant (me) Civilian

superviors were promoted to Platoon Commander

(formerly a LT or Sgt position only) in charge of all

dispatch and calltaking operrations. There weree

still Uniformed Captains assigned as Commanding

Officer and XO...but it was assumed thatthis would

also be phased out. This staffing model was folled

until January of 1999 when there was an interruption

of power at our PSAC during electrical work. a

relocation of staff to our back-up site was done and

when the dust settled, the Police Commissioner decided

that there should be a Duty Captain assigned to each

tour. There are currently 1 Deputy Inspector (CO) and

4 captains assigned with plans on 2 additional

captains to allow for 7X24 coverage without OT.

NYC is currently in the midst of a ambitious

consolidation project (NYPD/FDNY/EMS Dispatch and

calltaking)...Hopefully the new configuration WILL be

the model of the best of dispatch and calltaking.

Jim