Albuquerque 911 dispatcher center in need of people [Video]

Much of the United States is dealing with a 911 dispatcher shortage.New Mexico is affected by it as well. “I started at 18, and I fell in love with it,” said Jessica Solis, a veteran dispatcher in Albuquerque. “It’s fulfilling… It’s amazing to know when you leave that you’ve helped somebody that day.”For the last 25 years, Solis has been answering emergency calls in Albuquerque. But her office now has plenty of empty chairs and desks.When someone calls 911 or 242-COPS, the person who answers the call is a call taker. The city of Albuquerque is allotted 85 call-taker positions. Only 63 are filled, meaning a quarter of them are vacant. But Solis told KOAT that five people are in the hiring process.Once the call taker gets all the information, they send it to a dispatcher. A dispatcher is the person working on the police radio, getting emergency responders to …