AUSTIN, Texas —
The critical shortage of 911 call takers and dispatch operators for the Austin Police Department (APD) is putting a strain on those who are currently doing the job.
The shortage is causing delays in people receiving help in their most critical moments. Those that are calling 911 don't have the time to sit and wait on the phone to get help.
APD call takers are asking those that can handle being a dispatcher to apply.
"It's rewarding at the same time. Not impossible. Very rewarding. And you'll surprise yourself,” said Genevieve Thomas, an APD 911 call taker.
Thomas has been a 911 call taker with the APD for the last six years.
“I've always been the type of person that wanted to have an important job,” Thomas said. "It's definitely, that's one of my favorite things about this job is being that person that is talking to a person on their worst day. They don't call 911 for fun. So, I like being that person that's there for them.”
Thomas has had some memorable moments while on the job, like the time she met up in court with a domestic violence survivor that she took a call from.
"Whenever her attorney told her who I was, that I was the 911 call taker who, you know, was there with her. And she actually just kind of grabbed me and, you know, fully thanked me. That was the most full circle that I've ever had," Thomas said.
As of Dec. 1, APD has 46 open positions for 911 call takers and 20 open positions for police dispatchers. Thomas explained that the vacancies put a time limit on how long they can spend on each call.
"A lot of the time, we're unfortunately rushing these people off the phone and not spending the time that we would normally like to spend with them to be able to calm them down, you know, to get the information that we need for our officers," Thomas said. "We're kind of just getting basic information at this point, so that way we can go on and help the next person.”
The information that 911 call takers receive goes to the dispatcher, who then shares it with the APD officers, firefighters or EMS medics who will respond.
"We are here for the citizens of Austin and for police. We are the lifeline for the officers and kind of their right hand when they're out on the streets,” said Ashleigh Ledesma, a police dispatcher with APD.
Ledesma has been doing this job for 17 years and said she's never seen such a dire need.
"For me, personally, it makes me want to do what I can to help recruit the people to do this job,” Ledesma said.
She said the job can be tough, but it's rewarding and she wants to encourage others to answer the call.
“There's a sense of fulfillment that you're helping the community and helping the officers. For me, I developed a sense of duty once I knew that I was capable of helping people,” Ledesma said.
The job requires minimum qualifications like a high school diploma, a background check, some assessments and a drug screening. Learn more about the application process here.