HONOLULU (KHON2) — Honolulu police are rolling out big new bonuses — up to $2,000 per month for some — to keep 911 operators on the job in the hopes of solving a growing staffing issue.
House Rep. Darius Kila recently paid a visit to the Joint Traffic Management Center after dealing with and hearing complaints over long wait times for non-emergency calls.
What to know before making emergency 911 call
“Sometimes upwards of 20 minutes, just trying to get through dispatch. I understand they’re working through priority calls,” Rep. Kila said. “When I’m calling, it’s either somebody that somebody is complaining to us about enforcing park closure hours or an abandoned vehicle. Obviously, these things constitute as non-emergency, but when they’re being put on hold, it kind of quantifies the feeling that nobody’s listening.”
The president of the police union said a shortage in the 911 workforce is well known…