TO HOW YOUR CELL PHONE BILL HELPS PAY FOR IT. NEXT. >> IT IS A CALL THAT PEOPLE
MAKE IN A TIME OF PANIC.
DIALING 9-1-1. BUT WHO ANSWERS
THAT CALL? AND DID YOU KNOW
THAT YOU PAY A FEE FOR THAT
SERVICE? EVERY TIME YOU PAY
YOUR PHONE BILL.
>> KSAT EXPLAINS WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU CALL OR TEXT 9-1-1.
>> SENATOR, YOU’RE NO ONE ON
THIS IS JENNIFER, DO YOU NEED
POLICE FIRE OR EMS? MY NAME IS
JENNIFER RODRIGUEZ. I’M A
COMMUNICATIONS CALL TAKER.
I RECEIVED.
>> 9-1-1, CALLS AND
NON-EMERGENCY BECAUSE THIS IS
THE BEAR METRO EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS CENTER. WAS HE
AN OLDER MAN OR YOUNGER MALE?
ALSO KNOWN AS A PEACE APP.
IT’S A PRIMARY ANSWERING POINT
HERE. INFORMATION IS ALWAYS
CHANGING. CALLS FILLED WITH
CHAOS AND CONCERN COME IN BY
THE SECOND MAY HAVE A
DESCRIPTION OF THE VEHICLE IN
THIS ROOM ARE CALL TAKERS FOR
THE BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF’S
OFFICE AND THE SAN ANTONIO
POLICE DEPARTMENT. PEOPLE’S
LIVES INITIALLY DEPEND ON WHAT
WE DO HERE WHEN SOMEONE CALLS
OR TEXTS 9-1-1, CALL TAKER
ANSWERS THAT AND IMMEDIATELY
ASKS YOU NEED POLICE FIRE OR
EMS. IF THERE IS A FIRE OR
SOMEONE NEEDS AN AMBULANCE,
WE DON’T ASK ANY QUESTIONS.
FIRST, WE GET FIRE ON THEM.
I MEAN, IDEALLY, THE CALL WAS
TRANSFERRED TO SAN ANTONIO FIRE
DEPARTMENT DISPATCHERS WHO ARE
LOCATED IN THE SAME ROOM CALL
TAKERS LIKE JENNIFER, STAY ON
THE LINE TO SEE IF POLICE ARE
NEEDED. MATTHEWS HAVE A CONTACT
NUMBER FOR YOU. WHAT OFFICER
DOES NEED TO RESPOND? CALL
TAKERS GET AS MUCH INFORMATION
AS THEY CAN. THE QUESTIONS THEY
ASK ARE OFTEN SIMILAR. BUT
WHAT’S ON THE OTHER END CAN BE
WILDLY DIFFERENT. AND SOME OF
THOSE CALLS THEY NEVER FORGET.
I CAR. WERE WIFE CALLED HER
HUSBAND HAT, JUST SHOT HIMSELF
AND THE HEAD HE HAD INITIALLY
HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO IT.
SHE WAS CALLING FOR HELP FOR
MENTAL HEALTH. AND WHILE SHE
WAS ON THE PHONE, YOU HEARD THE
GUN GO OFF.
>> YOU HEARD HER SCREAM TO HEAR
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN HER
SCREAMS. THOSE THINGS NEVER
NEVER COME OUT OF YOUR HEAD.
YOU CAN’T HELP BUT FEEL THE
PAIN THAT.
ONE PERSON WAS CALLING IS GOING
THROUGH THAT PAIN COMES WITH A
PURPOSE. A CALL TAKERS JOB IS
TO PUT THE INFO A COLOR GIVES
THEM INTO WHAT’S CALLED A KEY
CARD AND PASS THAT CALL ONTO A
SAN ANTONIO POLICE. DISPATCHER
LIKE CHRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ.
THE DISPATCHER WILL READ THE
KEY CARD TO PRIORITIZE IT.
>> WHETHER IT BE A COLD, ONE
COACH WHO PUT THE RESPONSE THAT
CAN BE A ROBBERY IN PROGRESS, A
SHOOTING IN PROGRESS, RAPE IN
PROGRESS.
>> THOSE TYPE OF CALLS COURSE
THEIR COACH 3 AND THERE ARE
NUMBER ONE PRIORITY TO GET
OFFICERS OUT THERE. DISPATCHERS
WORK WITH CALLS THAT ARE
DIVIDED. ACCORDING TO SAPD
SUBSTATIONS.
THEY DISPATCHED OFFICERS THAT
WORK OUT OF THOSE SUBSTATIONS
BASED ON WHERE THE COLORS
EMERGENCY IS LOCATED. WATCH
WHAT HAPPENED DURING OUR
INTERVIEW. IF THERE’S AN
OFFICER IN THAT DISTRICT FOR
THAT SECTION THAT CAN GO TO.
>> I’M SORRY.
I GOT IT. I WILL. ANYONE THAT
CAN BREAK AWAY ANY SAFE
OFFICERS AS THE SHOOTING WITH
THE HIT SAID 16 YEAR-OLD MALE
THAT WAS SHOT IN THE HAND.
THERE’S A SECOND CALL DAUGHTER
16 YEAR-OLD BOYFRIEND SHOT
HIMSELF IN THE HAND ON HER
BASE. A LOT OF CITIES CAUTION
TAPE FOR HAVING HIM OUT, YOU
KNOW, TO ICE AND DUST INTO
OFFICERS DRESSED IN 3 OFFICERS.
THE HARDEST PART IS KNOWING
THAT YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF ALL
THESE LIVES.
>> AND YOU KNOW THAT ONE TIME
YOU DON’T SEND COVER THE COST
OF POTENTIALLY COST, YOU KNOW,
AN OFFICER’S LIFE. THIS
COMMUNICATION CENTER IS RUN
BY THEIR METRO. DESPITE THE
NAME. IT’S NOT A DIVISION OF
BEXAR COUNTY. IT’S A LOCAL
9-1-1, DISTRICT. THERE ARE
DISTRICTS ALL ACROSS THE STATE.
>> WHERE METRO COVERS BEXAR,
GUADALUPE AND COMAL COUNTIES IN
OUR PRIMARY JOB IS TO PROVIDE
THE RESOURCES NECESSARY FOR THE
9-1-1 SYSTEM TO WORK FROM
THE TIME.
>> A DIALS ONE WANTS THE TIME A
CALL TAKER RECEIVED THE CALL
THERE. METRO PROVIDES THE
TECHNOLOGY AND THE EQUIPMENT
THE 40 CITIES WITHIN THE BEAR.
METRO 9-1-1, DISTRICT PROVIDE
THE CALL TAKERS THE DISPATCHERS
AND THE RESPONSE YOUR TAX
DOLLARS PAY FOR THE WORK OF
YOUR LOCAL POLICE AND FIRE
DEPARTMENTS TO BE ON YOUR
PHONE. BILL PAYS FOR THE 9-1-1.
TECHNOLOGY USED HERE. THE 57
9-1-1, FEE THAT YOU SEE IN YOUR
WILDEST STILL SERVE ALL
WIRELESS NUMBERS HAVE A $0.50,
A 9-1-1 FEE THAT IS COLLECTED
BY THE STATE COMPTROLLER AND
AND DIVIDED OUT ACCORDINGLY.
THERE’S ALSO A $0.50 BE APPLIED
TO RESIDENTIAL LANDLINES AND
VOIP LIGHTS. THAT’S WHEN YOU
USE AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO
MAKE CALLS FOR BUSINESS LINES.
THE FEE IS ONE DOLLAR THERE.
METRO WORKS WITH AN ANNUAL
BUDGET OF AROUND 18 MILLION
DOLLARS THAT PROVIDES THE 9-1-1
TECHNOLOGY FOR THE 23 EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATION CENTERS ACROSS
BEXAR, GUADALUPE AND COMAL
COUNTIES IN SAN ANTONIO.
THERE ARE 2, ONE ON THE
NORTHSIDE AND SOUTHSIDE.
THEY’RE INDEBTED TO EACH OTHER.
SO IF 1, ONE FACILITY GOES
DOWN, WE’VE GOT THE OTHER IS
A BACKUP.
>> IF SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC
WOULD HAPPEN AND VOTE
FACILITIES WERE DOWN AS FAR AS
OUR PHONES OR CAD SYSTEMS.
THEN WE PARTNER WITH AUSTIN
PD AND SO THEY WOULD TAKE OUR
OVERFLOW. THEY TAKE OUR 9-1-1.
CALLS. SOMEONE HAS TO BE THERE
TO ANSWER THE CALL FOR
JENNIFER. THOSE CALLS HAVE
BECOME HER CALLING NO MATTER
WHAT SHE FINDS. ON THE OTHER
END, I’VE ACTUALLY TAKING UP
KNITTING OR CROCHETING AND ALL
MY BREAKER ON MY MIND UP, TAKE
A WALK OUTSIDE AND I.
>> I KNOW THIS IS REALLY JUST
TALK. BUT I TALKED ABOUT OR I
NET ALRIGHT, CROCHETING
BLANKETS I MAKE HERE. DO YOU
FIND WAYS TO VOTE FOR? WOULDN’T
SEE MYSELF DOING ANYTHING ELSE?
I REALLY WOULD.
>> PEOPLE.
>> NOW TO WATCH ANY OF THE KSAT
EXPLAINS STORIES WE HAVE DONE,
INCLUDING THIS ONE SCAN THIS QR
CODE THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE