Hennepin County Dispatch-State of the Union

Ground Breaking for new $30 Million Dispatch Center

This is a post from one of our Hennepin County Dispatchers who is also a MNPEA Union steward. As most know Hennepin County is building a brand new $30 million dispatch center. Unfortunately the dedicated people who are to staff it seem to have been left out of the budget. This is his post:

Morale at Hennepin Co Sheriff's Radio is at an all-time low.   Retention of current staff is the main challenge.  Maintaining staffing minimums has resulted and dispatchers getting forced overtime sometimes 3 of their 4 days of a rotation.  Same goes with getting forced to come in on your days off.  Time off is taken for granted.  For those that would like to take time off, the rule is only one dispatcher , no matter what shift, will be granted time off for vacation per day unless it's during prime time vacation (Memorial Day-Labor Day and The Holidays).  Hard to take vacation days that we earn.  Dispatchers at their contractual vacation cap balance of 280 hours cannot take a day off they prefer but one that works out best for management.  Staffing shortage burdens are solely on the current dispatch staff and not management.  Management could help the situation some but refuse to.  We have first line supervisors that are able to be call-takers but downtown won't let them be a part of the minimum staffing equation.  Even when doubled up, they can't help.  We even have first line supervisors that cannot ' do the dispatch job' but get paid considerably more than others.  

Years ago, during hiring times, there used to be a long list of applicants especially those with years of 911 dispatch experience.  Now, we hardly get anyone thats been a public safety dispatcher before.  Raw recruits that have a 50% chance of making it through  the coaching program. 

We are the hardest working group in the Sheriff's office and have been for quite a few years living without any wage adjustment or cost of living raise.  We are doing more with less.  We have become specialized and not compensated for the important skills acquired (CJIS, Fire Dispatch Core, training) .  We've acquired the city of Brooklyn Center that has dramatically increased our workload with no help from downtown.  

We are building a new 911 communications center in Plymouth due to open later this year.  Along with that,  we will begin dispatching for Golden Valley.  More work ahead facing the same staff shortages and still our 2014/2015 union contract has yet to be settled.

Morale is so bad, new hires come and overhear or see some of the issues we face and leave before they complete training.  There have been quite a few dispatchers that have left for other agencies that pay their dispatchers better.  Some  have left for North Memorial Ambulance, HCMC EMS, Metro Transit or other 911 centers in the metro.  Hennepin County used to be in the top 3 for pay in the metro area.  We have now fallen behind that we are the lowest, if not the lowest paid dispatchers in the 11 county metro area while being the busiest per dispatcher metro-wide.  Chances for promotion are limited.  You can only be promoted to Telecommunicator Sergeant and nothing further.  Other Comm Centers let their civilian staff be able to rise to levels not heard of in Hennepin County.    Dispatchers do not get any formal breaks and if you listen to a police radio or call 911 during normal meal times, you'll probably hear a dispatcher talking with food in their mouth because we have to eat at our workstations and work at the same time.

HCSO has made great strides department wide the last few years except in their 911 call center.  Overworked, cramped, and not appreciated dispatchers is one last area of improvement needed to make HCSO a good well rounded agency.  Training is virtually non existent.  There never is any worthy money set aside in the radio budget for training.  Resources have been taken away from dispatch staff also.   

We do a darn good job but we could be so much better had we had better working conditions.  An agency similar to ours was recently featured on a local news story about 911 call response.  It was learned that in that particular agency, 911 calls have routinely been missed or have had callers have to endure long waits for someone to answer emergency requests.  At Hennepin County Dispatch, a call for service , no matter if it's a 911 or non-emergency, is never, ever missed.  Hennepin Dispachers as well as our union brothers and sisters at the Hennepin Co Jail are the HARDEST workers in the sheriffs office.

Aaron Coates

Serving since 1990.

911 Dispatcher and Union Steward