Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Orleans Parish Communication District seeks $28.8M as call volumes rise; rolls out AI Spanish translation
Summary
OPCD executive director Carl Fasshold told the City Council budget committee the district requested $28,768,156 for 2026, outlined staffing shortfalls and technology replacements, and said two-way AI Spanish translation is entering production.
The Orleans Parish Communication District requested $28,768,156 in the City administration's ordinance submission for 2026 and told the City Council budget committee on Oct. 15 that the district faces continued staffing vacancies, aging equipment and rising demands on 9-1-1 services.
Executive Director Carl Fasshold told the committee OPCD has 15 vacancies in operations (10 call-takers, three dispatchers) and additional support vacancies. He said the district has largely completed cross-discipline supervisor training, is seeking ACE and CALEA accreditations, and is beginning production implementation of two-way AI Spanish translation for call handling.
OPCD officials said the agency is nearing completion of its fire station alerting system testing and deployment and that the Roman Capitol Building on the OPCD campus was rehabilitated using FEMA funds after Hurricane Ida, returning office space to relieve overcrowding.
Why it matters: OPCD handles citywide emergency communications for…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
