The new interim director of New Orleans’ 911 call system on Tuesday aimed to assure residents that recent controversies engulfing the agency and Tyrell Morris, its previous director, would not interfere with its ability to respond to emergencies.
In his first full briefing to the public, Karl Fasold, who took on the interim post at the Orleans Parish Communication District after serving as its technology director, said that while his agency was contending with serious staffing problems, he would move forward with plans to put in place a new fire station alerting system.
Interim Executive Director Karl Fasold introduces himself during a press conference at the Orleans Parish Communication District in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune)
“My job is to keep this organization moving forward, to make sure that we continue to strive every day to meet our goal of being the best in the world at what we do,” said Fasold, who will serve as chief until a new director is named.
Fasold's predecessor Morris resigned last month as WWL-TV was preparing to report that he’d crashed an agency vehicle and then appeared to have unilaterally changed a policy to make it look like he wasn’t required to submit a drug and alcohol screen.
Interim Executive Director Karl Fasold opens the door to the 911 Call Center floor for a tour at the Orleans Parish Communication District in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune)
Morris initially said his resignation would be effective in September, but he pushed it up to July 10 amid intense public scrutiny. The board’s chairman, John Thomas, stressed that Morris had voluntarily stepped down early, though Thomas also said his own inquiry corroborated WWL-TV’s reporting.
Addressing the resignation at a news conference Tuesday, Fasold said Morris is “a human being just like everybody else, and it appears that he made some poor personal choices.”
Sgt. Richard Blackman (left), Orleans Parish Communications District (OPCD) Director Tyrell Morris and Wendy Ervin, director of 911 operations discuss the restructuring of 911 call prioritization involving law enforcement at a Sept. 26 press conference at Orleans Parish Communications District
“That has nothing to do with this organization doing its job,” he added. “I'm very proud, everybody here. Very happy. They're all working hard. Everybody's trying to do their jobs, and trying to ignore the distractions.”
Fasold, who has been with OPCD since 2004 and led the rebuilding of the city’s 911 system after Hurricane Katrina, was named the interim director after a special board meeting the day after Morris resigned.
He said then, and reiterated on Tuesday, that he is not a candidate for the top job, which will be filled after a national search. It’s not clear when that will be.
Vacancies, fire alert system
Whoever permanently takes over the position will need to navigate the agency's role in ongoing controversies over New Orleans Police Department response times. The City Council's crime analyst reported in March that response times have soared more than 25%, while the NOPD's own public facing dashboard tracking response times is being rebuilt to accommodate new OPCD emergency call classifications.
Employees answer 311 and 911 calls at the Orleans Parish Communication District in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune)
Fasold said OPCD is urgently trying to fill 25 vacancies in a staff of about 180, reflecting a “national staffing crisis in 911.” The agency is dealing with the shortage by using more overtime shifts, which Fasold said is not ideal.
“I have to have police dispatchers. I have to have fire dispatchers. And sometimes that means we have to call people in on overtime,” Fasold said. “We're gonna try to get out of the idea of having overtime as quickly as we can.”
Just a week into the job, Fasold was mostly light on other particulars about the agency’s business, though he said he will soon announce a vendor to provide a new fire station alerting system, which is software that automates fire dispatch.
The 911 Call Center photographed in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune)
The project, which is budgeted to cost $2.5 million, will replace a 15-year-old existing system that has “continuing issues,” Fasold said. The vendor was chosen by a selection committee through a competitive solicitation, Fasold said.
Hexagon
Fasold stayed mum on another OPCD-led project to overhaul and streamline the NOPD's records systems. The project has been repeatedly delayed by technical glitches and other problems since Morris selected the vendor, Hexagon OnCall records, in 2020.
Before stepping down this month, Morris told the OPCD board that the software was set to “go live” on Aug. 29. Asked if that remained the scheduled date, Fasold replied that the question was “off topic” and declined to answer further.
The NOPD did not respond to an inquiry about Hexagon on Tuesday.
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Interim New Orleans 911 call center chief aims for smooth transition after Tyrell Morris resignation - NOLA.com
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