Increased Hiring and Wage Raises Boost St. Louis' 911 System and Storm Cleanup Efforts

St. Louis has hired more than 100 new 911 dispatchers and welcomed back three who previously quit after giving dispatcher salaries a significant boost in July. The city hopes that this influx of new hires will help address the long-standing issues of understaffing and poor response times in its beleaguered 911 dispatch system. Despite the positive development, challenges remain, including the stress of the job and the time it takes for new hires to be fully trained. The city has been struggling to meet national standards for 911 call answering times, with response rates falling below 90% in recent years.