Auditor: New agency should handle Beach 911 dispatchers

VIRGINIA BEACH

Morale among the city's emergency dispatchers has sunk so low that an audit recommends creating a new agency to supervise the operations.

Despite getting an airy new office building, updated technology and national accreditation, most of Virginia Beach's 9-1-1 and citizen services operators rated their morale as poor or below in a recent survey.

The dispatchers are part of the city's information technology department, but they think of their jobs more as public safety than computer maintenance, said Lyndon Remias, the city's auditor.

They feel that their concerns - over long shifts, extensive overtime and the need for more interaction with fire and police officers - aren't properly addressed by their managers, Remias said.

"There's overall a communication issue," he said.

Remias recommended that the city consider making emergency communications an independent department.

It's one of several findings in his audit of the city's communications and information technology department, also called ComIT, which will be presented to the City Council today.

Gwen Cowart, the city's technology director, supports making the 105 dispatchers - about a third of her department - into a separate agency.

Emergency communications was part of the Police Department but came under ComIT in 2000.

"I think we've done an excellent job," Cowart said, noting: "We have two conflicting missions."

The audit was launched earlier this year after the council received numerous complaints from employees about the Beach's technology staff, including delays in getting new equipment, overcharges and poor customer service.

For the most part, the auditors found that the department operated efficiently and effectively.

"I think the audit process allowed facts into the process," Cowart said.

Among other findings:

- The department had worked with the fire, police and emergency management officials to order microphones and radios in 2002. The equipment came into question in March during a fire that destroyed Bill's Flea Market, when a firefighter whose microphone got wet couldn't communicate with his peers. Motorola, the equipment maker, had initially told city officials that waterproof microphones were available for the radio. They were not, according to the audit. Motorola now has waterproof microphones. They have been provided to the fire department, and the city is ordering waterproof radios.

- The technology department overcharged other city departments for copies and faxes and tacked on a 20 percent overhead for all printing and mail services to subsidize the print shop. The department has adjusted its copy rate because of the findings. The audit, however, recommends that the overhea d charge, totaling about $170,000, remain the same.

- Employees feel their suggestions aren't considered when the technology staff orders new equipment.

Councilman Jim Wood, who led the effort to audit ComIT, said the city will have to consider how to deal with dispatch services. He would prefer placing Virginia Beach 911 under either the police or fire department.

"I think some of the complaints I heard were not as severe as some of the employees thought they were," Wood said of the report. "And other areas seem to track along with what the employees were saying."

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com