CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Over the past 12 months, the call volume at the Cleveland/Bradley 911 Center has surged 23 percent, records show.
Director Joe Wilson said population growth is only part of the reason. Police, fire and rescue, medical service and other agencies served by the center are getting more calls, he said. Police officer calls to the center – traffic stops and the like – are a big part of the increase.
“The reason we are so busy is that the agencies we serve are so busy,” Mr. Wilson said. “We will dispatch 170,000 calls this year and take close to a quarter of a million telephone calls.”
In August, the center will create a second fire services dispatch position to handle the load. In March 2009, the center added a third police dispatch channel, which serves several agencies.
The center has served local fire, police and medical services for more than 12 years, plus coordinating with other agencies such as animal control, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and similar state organizations.