DeKalb officials report improving 911 service levels and plan next‑generation 911 cutover for Aug. 13

Director Swain, the county’s 911 director, told the IRPS Committee that staffing has increased and the department now fills 126 of 130 funded positions, up from 89 when she took the role in December 2023. The department raised starting pay to $46,800, gave communications officers a 15% raise and other staff a 10% raise, and implemented morale programs aimed at retention.

Service-level statistics presented to the committee show month-to-month variation: December 2024 service level 54% (baseline), January 2025 61% with 51,116 calls (affected by ice storms), February 44,735 calls at 74%, March 51,448 calls at 75%, April 49,933 calls at 75%, May 53,997 calls at 65%, and June 1–24 40,702 calls at 72%. Director Swain reminded commissioners the national standard is to answer 90% of 911 calls within 15 seconds.

Swain outlined the county’s Next Generation 911 (NG911) upgrade, describing two parts: an ESInet (dedicated emergency-services network) and a new answering platform that can exchange multimedia (pictures/videos), perform administrative and emergency triage, improve location accuracy, provide translation and transcription services, and reroute nonemergency calls into a separate queue. She said the county reached a 95% GIS match rate toward a 98% target and that half of 48 call positions have had upgraded console equipment installed.

Operational readiness testing is scheduled for the week of July 28, with a tentative go‑live (cutover) date of Aug. 13, pending no major issues. The county plans on-site vendor support from AT&T, the CAD vendor, and the recorder vendor during the cutover week and indicated 24/7 support will be available.

Commissioner Ted Terry asked about a mid‑year budget amendment in the administration’s request for $2,000,000 to cover overtime, noting the line item is “trending over budget.” Director Swain said the additional funds are needed this year to cover overtime for staffing and training and that the county hopes to scale back overtime in 2026 as efficiencies from the new system and staffing stabilize. Swain also said quarterly training academies and onboarding of new trainees cause temporary service-level dips while trainees acclimate.

Commissioners raised operational questions about testing, training scheduling (on-site hands‑on training the week of Aug. 4–8 after online modules), equipment installation timelines (remaining equipment expected installed within one to two weeks), and continuity of audio recording during transition. Swain said testing will include dedicated test lines and simulated calls before live cutover. The committee recorded no formal vote on the NG911 cutover during this meeting; the discussion was an informational update and included questions about the associated budget request.