Letter from Sudbury 911 operators speak of 'trauma,' 'overwhelming stress'

Emergency communication staff who answer 911 calls in Greater Sudbury say they are routinely overwhelmed by having to deal with multiple emergencies at once when there are not enough officers on duty to respond.

CTV News Northern Ontario has been given a copy of an internal letter signed by 24 of the 40 people who work at the Greater Sudbury Police Emergency Communication Centre.

It expresses deep concerns about a severe staffing shortage currently affecting the department. The letter was sent to the Sudbury Police Association, Greater Sudbury Police administration and the police services board.

"The trauma and stress within the Communication Centre have reached overwhelming levels," the letter said.

"With so few officers on the road, we are inundated with multiple emergencies at once, many of them life-threatening. As dispatchers, we are being forced into impossible decisions, having to prioritize which emergency is more critical when every situation feels dire."

"Adding to our frustration, it appears that administration is solely focused on budgets and financial constraints with little regard the mental and physical well-being of our officers and police professionals," the letter continued.

Matt Hall, president of the Sudbury Police Association that represents employees in the Communications Centre, said it’s in talks with police administration about concerns raised in the letter.

"We continue to advocate for our members and make sure that, No. 1, they have a safe environment for their working conditions," Hall said.

Matt Hall is president of the Sudbury Police Association, which represents employees in the Greater Sudbury Police 911 Emergency Communications Centre. (Alana Everson/CTV News)

"No. 2, the overall picture is we have to ensure our communities safe. And we have to have that adequate effective policing that the Community Safety Policing Act requires us to provide to the community."

Average of 230 calls a day in Sudbury

He said 911 operators receive an average of 230 calls a day.

"They have a really, really, really tough job and I can’t commend them enough for the job they do because without them, we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs as police officers," said Hall.

The Association said it also plans to work with the police services board to modernize to the service’s needs to ensure adequate and effective policing as the current collective agreement expires at the end of this year.

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In response to an inquiry from CTV News, Greater Sudbury Police provided a statement that said, in part:

"We acknowledge and respect the feelings and concerns of our members. We feel the pressures associated to staffing, which are the cumulative result of legislated leaves, personal health days and legislated training.

"We continue to collaborate with our community partners and the Sudbury Police Association executive in finding feasible and sustainable solutions to address these challenges."