911 calls unanswered: Short staffing at the sherrif’s department in some counties in Oregon has prompted Governor John Ktzhaber to mull legislation that would declare a public safety emergency.
The legislation comes after a situation last August where a woman called 911 afraid her boyfriend was going to assault her, according to KOBI-TV. She was transferred to the state police because the sheriff’s department isn’t staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A dispatcher for the state police said, “Uh, I don’t have anybody to send out there. You know, obviously, if he comes inside the residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away?”
The boyfriend assaulted the woman and was later convicted and imprisoned.
“The state has an interest in maintaining a network of public safety throughout Oregon,” said Amy Wojcicki, a spokesperson for the governor, in an e-mail statement to CNN.
The legislation includes an imposition of a temporary income tax on residents who live in counties that are unable to pay for public safety workers because of budget cuts.
