Dispatcher shortage leads to forced overtime and calls for higher pay
By Alyssa Munoz
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — The Albuquerque Police Department is dealing with a shortage of dispatchers and call-takers, forcing some employees to work long hours and prompting calls for better pay and support.
Emergency Communications Manager Jessica Solis said the department has 14 call-taker vacancies and 14 dispatcher vacancies. APD is authorized for 73 call-taker positions and 42 dispatcher positions.
Solis said staffing shortages in emergency communications are not unique to Albuquerque and reflect a nationwide challenge. She said APD’s staffing needs vary depending on call volume, which continues to grow.
Dispatcher Jasmin Arias raised concerns before the City Council, saying the workload and forced overtime are taking a toll on employees.
“We have dispatchers and call-takers coming in on two to three hours of sleep,” Arias said.
Arias asked councilors to consider first responder pay and hazard pay for dispatchers and call-takers, saying the stress of the job is compounded by long shifts and intense emergency calls.
“As they sit at their console and set up for the day, their first call is a domestic violence call where the female is getting battered by her boyfriend,” Arias said. “As they’re working that call, they get a message from their supervisor saying, ‘I’m sorry, you’re going to have to stay late. You’re going to have to come back for the last four hours of your shift to finish that 16-hour force.'”
Between April 2025 and April 2026, call-takers averaged 37 forced overtime instances, while dispatchers averaged 30, Solis said. Those shifts ranged from a few minutes to as much as eight extra hours.
“We have prescheduled overtime that we do the month prior,” Solis said. “We try and fill those with voluntary overtime slots. If we can’t fill it that way, we do have to mandate at that point.”
Under the union contract language, employees can be required to work up to eight hours of overtime in one day and four hours the following day, Solis said.
She said APD is working to hire more employees, but the process takes time as full training can take six to nine months. Solis said the department is pulling applications and moving candidates through the process every two to three weeks.
APD is also offering a $3,500 hiring bonus for the positions.
“I pitched that to our staff a lot. You know, just bring people in. Point them in our direction,” Solis said. “And to be patient with us because our hiring efforts, they are in full swing.”
Solis said the department offers support resources for employees, including behavioral health services, therapy, peer support and employee assistance programs.
APD officials said the city is still negotiating with the union representing 911 call-takers and dispatchers. The department said its goal is to make both positions among the highest-paid in the state and to include any agreement in the budget.
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