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Knox County 9‑1‑1 reports June call volumes, flags one high‑frequency caller; staffing below target
Summary
County 9‑1‑1 staff told commissioners June saw 1,768 emergency calls and 5,729 nonemergency calls; mental‑health counts were inflated by one individual who placed roughly 540 nonemergency calls, and staffing sits at 17 full‑time nonprobationary dispatchers with active recruitment underway.
Knox County 9‑1‑1 officials presented June call statistics and staffing data to the Board of Commissioners on July 14, reporting overall call volume and an operational problem driven by one frequent caller.
Laura Webster, the current 9‑1‑1 director, said the department recorded 1,768 emergency 9‑1‑1 calls in June and 5,729 nonemergency calls. She and incoming director Rick Laniza also noted that a single caller accounted for about 540 nonemergency calls logged since Jan. 1; excluding that person’s calls reduces the county’s mental‑health call total to about 139. "So the good news is there were no completed suicides this last month," Webster said.
Staffing and training: Webster said five members completed a telecommunicator public safety class last month. Current staffing includes 17 non‑probationary dispatchers, three probationary staffers and two part‑time dispatchers. The department is recruiting to increase shift coverage and redundancy; staff said they would like roughly 24 total personnel to reduce the operational impact when someone leaves or takes leave. The department also described a minimum shift staffing target of four people (three on midnights).
Why it matters: Officials said the high volume of nonemergency calls from one individual consumed time and resources that otherwise would be available for life‑threatening incidents and routine dispatching. Staff noted many of those 540 calls were placed to the nonemergency line rather than 9‑1‑1.
Other operational notes: Presenters displayed monthly charts showing that the county’s law enforcement and fire/EMS call totals are stable and that noon is among the busiest hours. Staff discussed how calls can transfer between adjacent counties (Morrow, Richland) depending on tower routing and jurisdictional boundaries.
Next step: Directors said they will continue recruitment and training efforts and monitor call patterns; they also plan to include staffing needs in future briefings to the board.
