During a recent street racing incident, Austin residents faced long 911 wait times. City officials say they need to increase staffing for 911 call takers, but state license and background check requirements make it difficult to fill positions.
The task force is slated to pull from DPS divisions: Criminal Investigations, Texas Highway Patrol, and Intelligence and Counterterrorism. But the press release doesn’t specify the amount of funding or personnel that the unit will be allocated. DPS declined The Texas Tribune’s interview request, instead referring back to Abbott’s statement.
“Takeover events happen on a weekly basis in the DFW area, though few are of the magnitude observed in Austin last weekend,” he said. Staffing shortages are also at the heart of the major complaint on long 911 response times during the street takeovers — the longest of which was 27 minutes, according to Chacon. He added that the requirements for 911 call takers to be licensed by the state and pass all background checks “make it tough to hire people.”
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