INDIANAPOLIS -- Bruce Wood says his daughter endured unnecessary abuse while he struggled to contact 911 dispatchers.
Wood was rushing to help his daughter and her infant child Monday, but repeatedly couldn't get through to 911.
"I felt totally helpless," he said. "I thought, here I need somebody to assist me, and instead I'm going to be the first responders."
Wood's son Josh said he had the same issue.
"It was just a lot of time on the phone and nothing's being accomplished, nobody's being dispatched," Josh Wood said.
Marion County Sheriff John Layton said the Woods' story of being on hold without answer for 2 minutes wasn't unlikely. Layton says the lag time with dispatchers at the other end of the phone is a budget issue.
"Once they're trained, these other sheriff's office, they gobble them up," Layton said. "The Marion County Sheriff's Office winds up being a training ground for all these other entities around Marion County that pay so much more."
Right now, Layton says his office is down to 16 dispatchers.
Police did eventually arrive at the scene Wood was trying to call them to.
"They were very helpful, very courteous, but very late," Wood said.
The sheriff is pushing for an increase in the salary that Marion County dispatchers currently start out at – right now, about $26,000. He hopes by being more competitive with their salaries, more people will apply for the job, and hopefully stay.
