An Animal Control department’s communications system is an integral part of the agency’s operations, not an auxiliary function. The effectiveness of the communications system is a critical factor in the delivery of Animal Control services. All components of a communications system, including the telephone system, command and control operations, radio communications, and personnel, must work properly if the system as a whole is to function efficiently.

A communications system, including the personnel and equipment, must be as dependable as possible. The system must provide continuous, 24-hour-a-day operation. Communications failures or inefficiencies jeopardize Animal Control effectiveness and public safety by depriving the community of prompt service. Any interruption in communications, no matter how brief, might be the moment that an emergency arises.

Dependability should be built into a communications system by; 1) purchasing the most rugged and dependable equipment available; 2) instituting an adequate preventive maintenance program; 3) maintaining sufficient standby equipment; and 4) carefully selecting, training, and supervising communications personnel.

The day when communications meant answering a telephone and dispatching an officer is long gone. Today, Animal Control communications have emerged as a very sophisticated duty, requiring intensive training and career-oriented personnel.

Within the HIHS, Humane Officers are dispatched via their own communication service. The agency is striving to provide quantitative and qualitative dispatch services to the citizens within the coverage areas. The system and procedures for Animal Control work place unique demands on them, which require a certain degree of knowledge and patience on the part of the telecommunication staff.

The Shelter Managers oversee the communication system within their assigned jurisdictional areas. Written communication procedures are offered within the HIHS S.O.P. and the "caller information" sheet.

At the time of this study, dispatching duties were not assigned to any individual employee. Instead, these responsibilities are shared by several workers, including Humane Officers. The manner in which this service is offered is unusual and not typically found in Animal Control work. The dispatch schedule was described as follows:

• Kailua-Kona - 8:00 am to 3:30 pm, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Wednesday; closed on Sunday and Monday.
• Keaau - 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Saturday; closed on Sunday.
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• Waimea - 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday; closed on Sunday and Monday.

Other workers (typically another Humane Officer) offer dispatch relief whenever required. Telecommunications is performed within the public reception areas of each respective shelter. All three systems are staffed during hours of normal operations, however the employee charged with dispatch at the time may have other responsibilities. (Note: Since only 2 employees are assigned to the Waimea shelter, this facility is sometimes required to be closed during normal hours of operation, to allow those workers to respond to emergency field calls. These closures are documented on the "Waimea Shutdown Log.")

The "cut-off" time for routine calls is typically 30 minutes prior to the end of the officer’s shift. As phone service continues until each shelter "signs-off," pending routine calls accepted after the "cut-off" time are queued in the system for a later response. Since HIHS does not answer non-priority calls on those days when routine field service is not offered, some calls are allowed to "hold-over" until the next scheduled service day (or later).

The agency does not currently utilize a software program for dispatching. Instead, all incoming complaints are logged on paper (the Kailua-Kona operation transfers complaint log information to a computer, then a complaint record is generated for the officer’s response). "Important message" forms and "phone call" logs support this process. Case numbers are not assigned to all service calls; only actual complaints are identified with these numbers (impounded animals are identified by a number preprinted on the Intake Release Form). These logs offer only limited information in regards to incoming complaint and clearance dates and times. The Study Team found the current system to be antiquated and unreliable, as the system does not track enough information for HIHS to make important decisions relative to staffing, response times and workload. The current system does not track "queuing" time (queuing time is that period of elapsed time between initial receipt of a call and dispatch of the call to a field officer) and travel time (the time from dispatch to the time of arrival). The Study Team was unsure as to the method currently being used to track service call response as a performance measure, since the data presented for review offered no information on dispatch and arrival times. As these details are not available, calculating the exact response time of HIHS Officers for service delivery is not possible (nor can it be verified using the current dispatching system).

In short, an effective dispatching system must offer the following:

• Documentation as to the type of complaint, complainant information (if offered), type(s) of animals involved, location where the problem is occurring, and any owner information.
• Incoming complaint dates and times should be logged; all service call (regardless of the nature) should be assigned a case report number (CRN).
• The time and date that the call is assigned to a field officer for a response should be logged.
• The time and date that the field officer arrives on the scene of the complaint should be logged.
• The time and the date that the field officer clears the scene of the complaint should be logged.

Since only dispatched calls are tracked, it would be impossible to determine the total number of telephone calls that the HIHS staff actually process. Personnel are required to gather details on the type of complaint, complainant information (if offered) and description and number of animals involved. This information is then entered onto the written logs and relayed to field personnel by mobile phone or "queued" for a later response by a field officer.

The lack of a computer-aided dispatching software greatly diminishes enforcement activities. Under the current system, prior complaints and infractions must be checked manually or the officer would need to have some personal recollection of the violator and the previous offense. In addition, addresses cannot be "flagged" for problem citizens. Written logs and/or a computer database is also used to track citations. Whenever officers issue citations in the field, they have no idea as to the violator’s criminal disposition since the agency does not have access to a criminal record’s database (access varies from state to state; it is fairly common in some areas of the United States for Animal Control agencies to have access to a criminal records database, usually when affiliated with a Police Department; such a database serves as a valuable tool in researching prior criminal convictions and outstanding warrants).

Dispatch and telephone services at all 3 facilities are located within public reception areas, which affords little privacy. The Study Team observed shelter visitors and other employees frequently interrupting the dispatcher, resulting in excessive background noise and loss of concentration. It is felt that the dispatch area needs to be moved to a more restricted area, thus promoting a quieter working environment.

Although the agency has identified 3 coverage districts, HIHS dispatches officers to calls anywhere in their jurisdictional areas. It is fairly common for dispatch to send field personnel from one area to another when the call satisfies the prioritization list or there is a shortage of manpower on any given shift. Staff members are provided maps (which details exact street locations) to assist in determining jurisdictional responsibilities. Since the agency is responsible for such a large coverage area, low-priority service calls are routinely held over for a response during a certain day of the week. While the Study Team understands the purpose of holding such calls (limited manpower, driving time, fuel costs, etc.), this practice is unusual and is not typically found in Animal Control work. Within most agencies, service call response is dictated by the priority of the complaint or the order in which the complaint was received, not by driving distances or an officer’s assigned coverage area.

After-hour emergencies are directly dispatched by a contracted answering service. Callers to HIHS after normal service hours are directed to the answering service (via an answering machine), who will then contact the appropriate on-call personnel. During those occasions in which the Waimea facility is closed during normal hours for emergency call response, callers are also directed to the answering service. On-call personnel are compensated for stand-by assignments and/or any response to an after-hours emergency.

As stated later in this report, all Field Service Delivery Vehicles (FSDV) are equipped with only mobile phones (all radios were removed from service approximately 2 years ago). In addition, HIHS officers are not assigned a portable radio. Since many Animal Control Officers throughout the United States do not carry sidearms and are not trained in self-defense techniques, the portable radio is the only "safety net" the officer can rely on to call for help when confronted by a hostile citizen or a vicious animal (injuries and assaults involving Animal Control Officers continues to increase, prompting many employees to file lawsuits against employers for failure to properly train or equip). Any on-call officer is also assigned a mobile phone and a pager. Oddly enough, a mobile phone assigned to a Waimea officer is fixed-mounted to the vehicle. Thus, should the need arise for assistance, the officer would be required to return to the vehicle to communicate with dispatch.

This is the first time in any NACA evaluation in which an agency was discovered not to offer field officers mobile or portable radios. These workers should always be afforded 2 modes of communication (such as a cell phone and a radio) as not to rely solely on any one device. In addition, officers should be able to communicate with dispatch while inside and outside the FSDV.

HIHS officers do not use codes and/or "dispositions" to communicate with the dispatcher and with each other. Field personnel are required (by policy) to check-in with communications upon going into service, and to check-out when leaving service, however none of the field workers were observed complying with this requirement. Such a practice places officers in a dangerous situation.

Typically with most telecommunication systems, there are some "dead spots" which prevent officers from communicating with dispatchers. These "dead spots" are caused by equipment limitations or the topography of the land and the inability of radio signals to reach the tower. The majority of officers interviewed felt that the current communication system is unreliable and will not protect personnel in the event of dangerous and/or life-threatening situations. A few officers stated that the radios previously offered were more reliable than the current mobile phone system.

Officers are not routinely checked in the field for safety; this responsibility relies entirely on the individual dispatcher to track all officers in the field. In Keaau, the Study Team was advised that the dispatcher is required to check the status of all field officers every 2 hours, but with multiple employees sharing these responsibilities (and with constant interruptions from shelter visitors) this task would be difficult to monitor. In addition, since none of the field staff was observed checking-in (or out) with dispatch, it would be difficult to locate an officer in the field should an emergency occur.

The Study Team discovered that most of the HIHS telephone system is functioning at an "acceptable" level. Phones are answered by the front counter staff, the dispatcher or other employees during normal operating hours. After-hours, any emergency calls are referred to the stand-by HIHS officer. The allocation of phone lines is described as follows:

• Kailua-Kona - Two phone lines dedicated for public use.
• Keaau - Two phone lines dedicated for public use.
• Waimea - One phone line dedicated for public use.

Depending on the location in which the call is directed, there is usually a minimum of 1-2 staff members available to monitor these lines and route calls to the appropriate area. Any employee who answers the phone is responsible for screening calls and providing information about services the organization does not provide. The majority of phone calls received are in regards to impounded animals, adoptable animals, trap rental, licensing, animal complaints and lost and found reports. The agency does not track the quantity of phone calls received at any of the 3 facilities.

Since field service begins at varying times (depending upon the officer’s work schedule and shelter-related responsibilities), incoming routine calls originate at that time and continues until phone service is transferred to the answering service. Telephones are answered during all hours of operation. After-hours, citizens must contact the answering service (a log of all after-hour communication is faxed to each sheltering facility every morning). Such calls are then passed along to on-call personnel, if necessary. There is no "on-call" risk policy currently in existence.

3.01 The agency should hire a professional communications consultant to evaluate its current communications center (including phone service). Such an assessment should be performed on all areas of operations (field and shelter) to provide improved customer service, insure officer safety and to lessen the stress load of the staff. Rating: 3

3.02 HIHS should consider offering a central, island-wide communications center. Such a center would handle (and route) incoming citizen inquiries among the three facilities, dispatch complaints to officers in the field, and monitor all field activity. Rating: 3

3.03 The agency should purchase a software program in an effort to capture vital data regarding response times and workload. This software should also provide knowledge of prior animal-related complaints/offenses and perform address and name queries. All service calls should be assigned a case number. In addition, dispatch, arrival and clearance times should be logged for each individual service call. Rating: 3

3.04 All current dispatch centers should be moved into a restricted area of each building, away from the main office (also see 3.02). Rating: 1

3.05 Portable radios should be purchase and issued to all field personnel and their use made mandatory. Rating: 1

3.06 Field personnel should communicate their location with dispatch (at all times) on any call or follow-up, regardless of the nature. Rating: 1

3.07 The agency should evaluate all communication equipment for functionality and provide upgrades, if necessary. Rating: 1

3.08 Communication personnel should be offered formal training in the use of communication software and equipment, telephone etiquette and public relations. Officers should also receive training in proper radio protocols. Rating: 3

3.09 To support future staffing needs, the agency should continually track the number of shelter visitors and phone calls received. Rating: 2