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61 Harv. J. on Legis. 1 (2024)

handle is hein.journals/hjl61 and id is 1 raw text is: POLICY ESSAY OCCUPATIONAL RECLASSIFICATION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS: A NECESSARY STEP TOWARD A STRONGER PUBLIC SAFETY WORKFORCE REPRESENTATIVE NORMA J. TORRES* ABSTRACT Despite the crucial role they play in keeping our communities safe, 9-1-1 dispatchers (formally known as public safety telecommunicators) lack the same legal classification as police officers, firefighters, and other public safety professionals. Although public safety telecommunicators are the first point of contact for individu- als in crisis, the United States Office of Management and Budget officially classifes them as clerical workers-the same category as secretaries and office clerks-instead of public safety professionals. As the first public safety telecommunicator to serve in Congress, I know firsthand the challenges telecommunicators face and the impor- tance of recognizing their selfless commitment to protecting our communities. I have introduced bipartisan legislation, the 9-1-1 SAVES Act, to officially reclassify public safety telecommunicators as public safety professionals and bring the profession one step closer to the respect, resources, and support it deserves. In this essay, I discuss the evolution of the public safety telecommunicator profession, the challenges telecommu- nicators face, and the road to occupational reclassification. Finally, I draw from data, my own lived experience, and the experiences of current public safety telecommunica- tors to make the case for reclassification as an avenue toward strengthening our public safety system by building and retaining a more robust telecommunicator workforce. I. INTRODUCTION .......................................... 2 II. PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS: A N O VERVIEW.................................... . 4 III. BEGINNINGS AND EVOLUTION OF THE PROFESSION ..... 5 A. Early Dispatch Personnel and the Origins of the Modern 9-1-1 System.............................. 5 B. Public Safety Telecommunicators in the Twenty-first Century .............................. 7 C. Impact of COVID-19 .............................. 9 D. Gender Dynamics of the Telecommunicator Profession ... 11 IV. MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES FACING PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS ................................... 12 *Member, U.S. House of Representatives (CA-35). Representative Torres has represented California in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015 and serves on the House Committees on Appropriations and Administration. Previously, Representative Torres served as a State Senator and Assembly Member in California, Mayor and Council Member in the City of Pomona, and a 9-1-1 dispatcher.

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