Mayor releases statement ahead of KCBD Investigates report on 911 calls

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Lubbock Mayor Tray Payne issued a statement on Friday, writing that the City of Lubbock’s response to 911 calls “should be improving, not getting worse.”

“Every 911 call should be properly answered, and every emergency be treated as one,” Payne said.

Mayor Payne said he has discussed the issue with City Manager Jarrett Atkinson and LPD Police Chief Floyd Mitchell. He said the city manager is aware of the issue and Chief Mitchell “will immediately make this a top priority.”

The mayor said this is one reason why last year the city allocated an additional $7.4 million to this year’s police department’s budget.

The KCBD Investigates team has spent weeks digging deeper into this issue. We will show the trend in 911 calls that have gone unanswered, along with concerns raised about officer and public safety.

Join us for the full story on Tuesday on KCBD NewsChannel 11.

You can find the mayor’s complete statement below:

This past week I received an update on an issue I raised in my campaign: The Lubbock Police Department’s capacity to properly respond to your 911 emergency calls.

That is just one reason why last summer our city manager, along with our Council, allocated an additional 7.4 million dollars to this year’s LPD budget.

As Mayor, I expect that the resources made available to our police department be effectively used.

The citizens of Lubbock deserve the very best in police and public safety and the dispatch issue should be improving, not getting worse.

Every 911 call should be properly answered, and every emergency be treated as one.

I have met with our city manager. He is aware of this issue and our expectations are that LPD Chief Mitchell immediately make this a top priority.

Tray Payne

Dr. Jennifer Wilson, Council Member for District 5, also provided a statement on Friday:

“Over the last year the mayor, myself and the other members of city council have made public safety a top priority. This council has ensured that the Lubbock Police Department has the financial resources necessary to provide services that Lubbock citizens expect and deserve. It is my expectation as a council member and citizen that the Police Chief utilize those resources effectively to make sure every 911 call is answered in a timely manner. It is unacceptable that any citizen’s call for emergency services goes unanswered. As your councilwoman I am working with the city manager to ensure these issues are resolved immediately.”