HEC review recommends 55 changes, $6 million in savings

07:50 PM CDT on Tuesday, July 5, 2005

By Jason Whitely / 11 News

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Houston's 911 system needs some major work according to an independent review of the emergency center.

It was supposed to be state of the art, but computer problems have been an embarrassment since it opened 18 months ago.

The City Controller's office hired a private company to look at the efficiency and effectiveness of the Houston Emergency Center. That office stressed two points Tuesday. First was that the emergency center is providing quality service. Second, is that there is plenty of room for improvement.

The report, released Tuesday morning, says the organizational structure is ineffective, employee morale is low, call handling needs improvement and the 911 building isn't as secure as it should be.

Those who manage the center say the problems are nothing new.

"The things identified in this report are nothing new," says Assistant Chief David Cutler, Houston Police Department. "They did not come about as a result of the formation of HEC. I was in police dispatch 20 something years ago and we dealt with a lot of these problems then."

The review also recommends ways to save more than $6 million at the facility. In its first 18 months, the center has experienced numerous technical problems.

"If all the recommendations in this report were accepted and implemented," says city controller Annise Parker, "we would save well over $6 million. And as an example, that would pay for the entire annual budget of the controller's office.

There are 55 recommendations in all. Parker says if changes are not made public safety could be at risk. "In the long run, if we don’t sufficiently staff the Houston Emergency Center and we don’t address the employee, staffing and moral issues, we could have a problem of critical failure at the center," she says.

The city has seemed to live with persistent problems for decades. Whether the new report can finally stimulate change, remains to be seen.

Managers at the center would not give a timeline as to when they hope to complete the changes.