Should Provo 911 send a call for help?

That's the teamwork Geslison and Bolda say is necessary because there isn't money for more dispatchers and it is difficult to keep all 22 positions filled. Provo has followed all of Ogden's recommendations, including streamlining its policy manual. One new initiative Bolda started after Aston died was to require a police watch commander or fire department battalion chief to take over any search when an address can't be found.

The initiative was immediately successful. In one case, the teamwork plan led crews to find a man who couldn't provide his location because he was in diabetic shock.

Bolda and his dispatchers are weary of news coverage based on one incident involving a dispatcher who no longer works for the city.

But Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, who is mounting a re-election campaign, understands interest in the case. Billings said during a debate against opponent Dave Bailey that the state of the dispatch center "ought to be discussed" during the campaign.

Billings, Geslison and Bolda say the center is serving the community well. They certainly agree on one thing with Ferre. As Billings said, "We have excellent men and women in our dispatch center."

Staffing issues

From there, they go separate ways.

Police Chief Geslison is pleased with the financial support he's had from the city administration and the City Council for the dispatch center, but he says that turnover has made it difficult to keep the center fully staffed.

Right now the staff has 18 employees, with one still in the training phase, which generally lasts six months. Three new hires will start training on Monday, bringing the staff to 21, including the dispatch manager, with a total of four trainees. One position remains open.

"If we could keep that staffing level (of 22 employees) on a consistent basis, I feel like we've been given the support," Geslison said. "Having said that . . . we generally don't get to that figure. If we could get to that level and be consistently there, I'd be happy with that."

Ferre says Provo hasn't been at what she considers full capacity — 18 fully trained dispatchers — since 1997. Geslison and Bolda say they are hopeful the APCO report has new suggestions for managing turnover because their efforts, even some suggested by Ferre, haven't been as successful as they'd like.

Geslison and Bolda had good relationships with Ferre, all three said.

"I was supportive," Geslison said. "That should say a lot of Dana. She left on her terms."

But Geslison was agitated by Ferre's claims Provo hasn't added a new dispatch position since 1997.