911 dispatchers in DC offered big bonuses just for SHOWING up for work

Washington, DC's 911 dispatch system is so broken that employees are reportedly being bribed with bonuses just for showing up for work.

Dispatchers reportedly received an email Tuesday from Heather McGaffin, the director of the city's Office of Unified Communications (OUC), offering them $800 a month on top of their salaries if they came to work for the their scheduled shifts.

“According to OUC, in May, 50 of the 66 shifts were adequately staffed,” WJLA informed “In June, only about half—34 shifts were adequately staffed. And in July, records show that only eight of 66 shifts were adequately staffed to meet emergency needs.”

(Video credit: NBC4 Washington)

“Good morning, 911 team,” McGaffin's letter began.

“Beginning immediately, all 911 employees who report to all of their scheduled shifts will receive an $800 incentive for the month,” he wrote. “Staff are crucial to the success of our agency. Unscheduled calls of all types are increasing and causing difficulties for colleagues who are continually stuck, arriving early and being asked to come in on days off” .

“The pilot is simple: show up for every shift you're assigned and you'll get an extra $800 for the month. We're starting today for August,” the letter read.

The plan to pay the bonuses amid a crumbling emergency system has outraged many in DC

Council member Charles Allen reported crisis levels at the OUC.

“Not a week goes by that I don't have a constituent who couldn't get through, who had to wait a long time for first responders to be dispatched in an emergency, or who got the wrong answer or no scene,” he said

“The executive won't even admit there's a major problem, but if it's true they're paying people $800 just to come to work, it's a clear admission that we have an agency that needs major change,” he added. “D.C. residents are shaken and don't trust that there is clear leadership and direction to change the agency. That's a big problem.”

The 911 computer system went offline six times this year alone as internal computer hardware failed. A recent outage lasted 20 minutes. During a two-hour outage just a few weeks ago, a family was unable to get help for their 5-month-old baby who was in medical trouble. That child died later.

DC public safety watchdog and former journalist David Statter called out the city council and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for ignoring the problems.

“The issues in 911 really come down to training and, most importantly, leadership,” Statter told WJLA. “Management has not addressed these issues. They seem to spend more time covering things up than trying to fix them.”

(Video credit: ABC7)

“I would say right now things are worse than ever,” Statter said. “And I've been covering 911 in the District for about 40 years and I've never seen it this bad.”

An OUC spokesperson said in a statement: “We appreciate the hard work being done by our team at OUC and will continue to recognize and reward those efforts. Staff are crucial to the success of the agency, and we will continue to explore ways to improve agency performance while being good stewards of district resources.”

Senior Staff Writer
[email protected]

Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

Latest messages from Frieda Powers (see everything)

We have zero tolerance for comments that contain violence, racism, profanity, profanity, doxing, or rude behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it, click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for engaging with us in a fruitful conversation.