Please place on the May 15, 2024 agenda a referral to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee to discuss potentially moving the Public Safety Communications Division (“PSCD”) from under the auspice of the Fire Department back to the Police Department.
Since it was first implemented in 1968, 9-1-1 has been the national emergency telephone number for the United States, along with several other countries, including Mexico, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. The Miami Beach PSCD, which is dedicated to providing vital support services to the Police and Fire Departments by immediately attending to all 9-1-1 calls for law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medical service requests in a courteous, professional and effective manner, is presently under the administration of the Fire Department after previously having been under the auspice of the Police Department.
As part of the referral, I would request that the City Administration, including the Police Department and Fire Department, be prepared at Committee to discuss the advantages and disadvantages, along with any issues or concerns, of potentially moving the PSCD from the Fire Department back to the Police Department. I would further request that the Police and Fire Departments be prepared at Committee to discuss the various protocols and procedures of the 9-1-1 call-taking process from receipt of the initial call through the routing and dispatch of the appropriate responding units. Specifically, I would also ask that the Administration be prepared to provide the Committee with information regarding the Priority Dispatch protocols for police, fire and medical services utilized by the City as it pertains to the number (and type ) of questions 9-1-1 call-takers ask of callers, as I have been made aware that residents sometimes get frustrated by the overwhelming number of questions asked of them which has, in turn, led to other incidents not being reported. Further, I would request that the Administration be prepared to advise the Committee as to whether other municipalities in Miami-Dade County utilize the Priority Dispatch protocols and, if not, to identify the protocols, practices and/or procedures other municipalities within the County utilize.