Portland’s 9-1-1 operators have been falling behind. Standards for taking emergency calls are set at 90% answered within 15 seconds, Portland stands at 43%. This is partly due to staffing, the rise of crime and the amount of calls the city has been receiving, but concerns are focused on the workload operators are under. Currently, they handle both emergency and non-emergency calls leading to longer wait times. The city plans on implementing an automated system for non-emergency calls so operators can focus on more pressing emergencies in the city. Bob Cozzie, director of the Bureau of Emergency Communication for Portland, joins us for details on how this new system of automatic responses will play out.