ATLANTA, Ga. -- 11Alive was the first to tell you about people having problems getting through to Dekalb 911.
After more of you at home let us know you were still unable to get through, we wanted answers.
Kaitlyn Ross sat down with the Dekalb County Police Chief, and he says high turnover is part of the problem.
Interim Chief Jim Conroy says this it is a tough job, and it's difficult to keep people in those seats.
He says some people quit just days after they're trained because they can't take the stress, and that's slowing call times down.
Q: Do you feel like you have an adequate amount of staffing?
A: No. I wish we had more.
Q: How many more do you need?
A: We have about 25 current vacancies.
In response to our public records request, Chief Conroy says the average wait time at the call center is 10-12 seconds... but during high call volume, some callers get a recording, telling them to hang on until an operator is available.
Q: With the City of Brookhaven saying they're leaving because Dekalb 911 isn't fast enough, what are you doing, or what do you plan to do to improve the system?
A: It's a business decision, I'm not going to interfere with a business decision. And if someone wants to leave, it's within their authority to do so. I will reiterate that we're very proud of our center.
11Alive's reporting on the center has helped solve a critical issue there.
After a viewer told us her security company waited on hold for 8 minutes after an alarm, Dekalb PD found out a number of security companies were calling the wrong number!
Q: The frustrating part for this customer was an 8 minute wait when you have an emergency, that seems like a long time?
A: Oh Absolutely, I agree. I have reached out to that alarm company and told them they were calling the incorrect number. So we gave them the right number to reach us to make sure they're falling in to our emergency cue.
"We're doing everything we can with the resources that we have," said Conroy.
Aside from staffing, Conroy says their biggest complaint is people calling 911 for non emergencies... he says people call 911 to ask about the weather or traffic daily, and that clogs up the lines for people having true emergencies.
