City Delays Vote on Voice Mail for Police

The City Council has put on hold the purchase and installation of a $16,462 GTE automated attendant and voice-mail telephone system requested by the Police Department.

“The concern that council has is that when a person calls the Police Department, they usually have a problem or need help,” Councilman Doude Wysbeek said after a vote earlier this week. “And if they call up and get a bunch of different numbers and have to listen to a menu,” Wysbeek said, people might get the wrong message.

“It’s such a change in how we’d be communicating with the public,” he added, “that we decided to hold it over until we can talk about it more.”

San Fernando Police Chief Dominick Rivetti said the department has been exploring different ways to reduce the amount of time officers spend on the phone.

“Our dispatchers handle all kinds of phone calls,” Rivetti said. “And they’re also required to be jailers, 911 operators, handle radio transmissions and handle walk-ins,” Rivetti said.

The automated phone system was “one concept we had looked at in trying to reduce some of that workload,” Rivetti said.

The city will invite a GTE representative to meet with the council to explain how an automated voice system could improve delivery of city services, Wysbeek said.