KCMO leaders approve ordinance hoping to unify city's police, fire call centers

The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council on Thursday passed an ordinance that hopes to improve the systems of the city's police and fire dispatch centers.

KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas wants the city to explore a "unified 911" dispatch center that includes both agencies.

Lucas, who sponsored the ordinance, believes doing so would improve the systems for both agencies.

According to the ordinance, the Kansas City Fire Department currently falls short of the National Fire Protection Agency's recommendation of answering 95% of calls within 15 seconds.

The ordinance also notes how the Kansas City Police Department faces challenges in its call-handling system that causes the department to experience long wait times for certain types of calls and abandoned calls, among other issues.

With an 11-0 vote, the council passed the measure, which directs KCMO City Manager Brian Platt to collaborate with the Board of Police Commissioners, Mid-America Regional Council and KCFD to explore the unification.

The ordinance also directs Platt to report his progress to Lucas and the council within 45 days.

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