Metro Council asks mayor to investigate 911 dispatch center after workers allege retaliation

The Metropolitan Council voted to ask the mayor’s office to initiate an investigation into the operations, practices and leadership culture of the Davidson County Department of Emergency Communications after multiple council members and union representatives described allegations of retaliation and an unsafe workplace for 911 dispatchers.

Councilmember Ellis, who sponsored the resolution, told the committee the measure responds to reports from 911 workers and union leaders who say staff fear reprisal if they file complaints: "These are folks that we call, in life or or death situations, and we expect them to be operating at 99% efficiency. And we want to make sure that the environment that they're working in supports that." The council recommended approval with six votes in favor and four abstentions.

The request follows prior, limited reviews and internal work: council members referenced a report by the law firm Ogletree and Dinkins and repeated meetings convened by the women’s caucus, SEIU union representatives and Metro Human Resources to collect concerns. Councilmember Ellis told colleagues that workers had asked that specific allegations not be made public because they feared retaliation; she asked the administration to pursue a formal, independent review.

In committee discussion, council members pressed for clarity about what an investigation would examine and whether existing HR processes had already addressed complaints. Councilmember Weiner urged specificity so that HR would not tell the council "we don't know what we're investigating." Mayor's staff member Rosenberg said HR would act on concrete complaints but that, without specifics, the administration did not know what to investigate and noted ongoing union-management engagement.

Administration officials described current steps. Director Hall of Metro HR told the committee that retaliation is prohibited under the civil service rules and that civil service processes provide appeal rights; she said she could not "imagine any scenario where anybody would ever lose any retirement benefits or pension as a result of coming forward and telling the truth." Hall and other staff said HR, department leadership and SEIU had been meeting and that a survey of DEC employees was being developed to gather anonymous feedback.

SEIU organizer Marley Albert told the committee the union and HR had convened more intentional meetings since concerns were raised at the women's caucus and said she expected a survey to be issued by the end of the month. Albert said the union plans both online and paper surveys, with paper ballots to be collected in a locked box and handled by Metro ITS to preserve anonymity.

Councilmembers cited both operational metrics and worker testimony in explaining their votes. Councilmember Benton noted the department had answered 95% of calls within 15 seconds year-to-date and credited dispatchers for lives saved, while Ellis said those statistics did not negate workers’ reports that pressure to meet strict time windows (staff described a 3–5 minute expectation on calls) had created fear of retaliation for exceeding metrics.

The resolution gives the mayor’s office authority to initiate a review; Ellis said the council would expect findings within a 120-day window. Next steps described at the meeting included the union and HR finalizing the employee survey and continued biweekly union-management meetings. The council did not direct a particular outside investigator at the committee meeting; administration officials said they would coordinate with SEIU and HR in whatever review is authorized.

The council’s action wraps into existing HR and union-led steps; the investigation request elevates the matter to the mayor’s office and sets an explicit time frame for a report back to the council.