By Mike Rutledge • mrutledge@nky.com • June 18, 2009

NKY.com News

COVINGTON - Police Chief Lee Russo said Thursday he has no concerns about the competence or training of city emergency 911 dispatchers, two days after a city commissioner announced some police officers sometimes fear for their safety.

Chris Gangwish, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1, said his organization was pleased city commissioners decided to keep 911 dispatching within city government.

At the meeting where commissioners voted 4-1 to keep dispatching a city activity - rather than outsource it to Kenton County, Campbell County or some other government organization - Commissioner Jerry Stricker said that some police officers have told him "their life is in danger when certain dispatchers are working."

Stricker, who earlier had said he hoped people with concerns about city dispatchers would step forward and express their worries in public, offered no specifics.

"I've had no such complaint rendered to me," Russo said. "As a matter of fact, we have instructed our staff - and this goes a while back - if officers have concerns with dispatchers when they're out on the street, the first thing they're supposed to do is notify the supervisor immediately, and then the supervisor can intercede.

"The other issue is, it's supposed to be documented," Russo said. "That way, the command chain is aware that something has happened."

Russo said he also personally met with dispatchers and told them if they have a concern with an officer, they also should document that so it can be addressed.

Both directives - to police and dispatchers - went out probably a year ago, he estimated.

"At this point, I've only had one documented complaint, or concern," Russo said. It came from a dispatcher concerned a police officer had taken unexpectedly long to show up for another officer needing help.

In that situation there had been mitigating facts the dispatcher did not know, Russo said.

"I think that they are competent," Russo said. "As I've said all along, I think our dispatchers have been limited by the equipment."