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Oakland missed hundreds of 911 dispatcher applicants
Despite a staffing crisis that has left Oaklands 911 system in disarray, the city failed to review hundreds of applications from people looking to fill empty positions, according to a new report.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Hundreds of applications for Oakland police dispatchers were ignored, leading to long hiring gaps, and contributing to the city’s slow 911 response times, a newly released report shows.
Oakland City Council received the informational report Tuesday from the Human Resources Management Department on recruiting, testing and hiring 911 dispatchers that shined light on major missteps.
Councilmember Janani Ramachandran requested the information in October in response to this year’s scathing Alameda County civil grand jury report that called out Oakland’s persistent problems and lagging 911 response.
Records show from April 2022 to April 2023, nearly 1,000 applications for vacant 911 dispatcher positions were never processed.
"The cause is this situation is human error," said Ramachandran. "We need to call that out in order to move forward."
Key report findings show that there are 76 total funded police dispatcher positions of which 20 are currently vacant. Most have been that way for more than a year.
Out of the 1,000 applications received and ignored, only 279 applicants were later asked to reapply. The others got no response or follow-up from city staff, Ramachandran said.
"This is not just about let’s point fingers and case blame," she said. "Let’s make sure it never happens again. Let’s install processes and systems to make sure we’re hiring fast and capturing every one of the applications that comes in to the city of Oakland."
The city responded to KTVU in a statement and said an internal self-audit of recruitment practices identified the problem. A spokesperson said changes have been made to address recruitment, communication, and the hiring process.
"Recruiting for these important positions is a high priority for the city of Oakland," the statement reads. "The city recognizes the negative impact of these unprocessed applications. HRMD has prioritized implementing these improvements to the process…"
Filling the police dispatching positions is critical as Oakland requires current dispatching staff to work overtime amid record call volume.
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Other problems have plagued police response times including a city ransomware attack and a 911 system failure earlier this year.
Additionally, records show despite the city buying new computer-aided dispatch equipment and software, it is now five years old and has never been fully installed.
"There are a lot of band-aids that a being put in place," said public safety professional David Cruise who used to work for the city's IT department.
Cruise said the issues have been going on for more than a decade and need immediate attention to keep the 911 system functioning now and in the future.
"They need a little more of a strategic, holistic look at all of the gaps they currently have," he said. "And how they’re going to be able to maintain and move forward."
To that end, Mayor Sheng Thao pledged $2.5 million in September to help fix the outdated 911 system.
But until more dispatchers are hired, there is concern 911 calls will not get an immediate response.
Ramachandran said there are between 20 and 30 vacant dispatcher roles that she wants filled in the next couple of months.
"I would like to see every one of those roles filled as soon as possible," she said. "I want to see people hired."
Brooks Jarosz is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email him at brooks.jarosz@fox.com and follow him on Facebook and X @BrooksKTVU