City report: Milwaukee 911 centers exceeded NENA call-answer goals in Q4 2024

Barbara Cooley, a research and policy analyst for the Fire and Police Commission, told commissioners on March 25 that Milwaukee's 911 centers surpassed National Emergency Number Association (NENA) call-answer standards in the fourth quarter of 2024. Cooley said the standards require that 90% of 911 calls be answered within 15 seconds and 95% within 20 seconds.

Cooley reported that MPD's emergency communications met the 15-second standard at 98.3% for the quarter and MFD's center exceeded the same standard at 97.9%, the presentation showed. She said outlier calls (answered in more than 180 seconds) decreased from the prior quarter to 0.02% for both MPD and MFD. Cooley also reported that Q4 2024 averaged 161 telecommunicators and dispatchers combined and that staffing increases beginning in 2022, including an expedited hiring process and a pay increase, were the major drivers of improved performance. She noted training for new telecommunicators typically requires about eight weeks.

The report indicated call-answer performance exceeded the 15-second goal across all shifts in Q4 2024. Cooley attributed the improvement primarily to higher staffing levels and implementation of the new Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) and upgraded CAD/911 systems, while underscoring staffing as the most closely correlated factor.

Commissioners asked about measures of call quality and customer satisfaction. Cooley said the quarterly report focuses on answer times; satisfaction and service-quality questions are addressed in a biennial police satisfaction survey the office conducts. Commissioners also asked whether future reports would separate MPD and MFD statistics from aggregated DEC metrics; Cooley said she and Director Todd would discuss the best approach for 2025 reports.

Ending: Cooley provided links in the report to supporting data and invited follow-up questions; no committee action was required on the item.