Hub police operations unit plagued by problems

Hub police operations unit plagued by problems

By Maria Cramer
Globe Staff / March 18, 2011

One 911 operator for the Boston Police Department fell asleep fielding a call reporting gunshots. A dispatcher failed to send a unit fast enough to the scene of a possible break-in, causing the victim to wait 20 minutes for an officer to arrive. And two dispatchers screamed and swore at each other so loudly during an office argument that the ruckus was audible on police radio channels.

These were among the dozens of transgressions police officials documented last year in disciplinary reports involving employees of the operations division, the communication hub of the department that for many in the public is the first point of contact with police.

The 189-member unit, made up mostly of civilians, is charged with ensuring that people in emergencies get help quickly and that officers are promptly sent to investigate ongoing crimes. But the records, obtained by the Globe through the Freedom of Information Act, showed that the unit was cited for the most diplomacy problems in 2010.

FULL STORY HERE:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/18/boston_police_dispatcher_unit_plagued_by_problems_mistakes/?p1=News_links