Shakeup leaves 911 looking for director

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 19, 2004

[11/19/2004] Following weeks of closed-door meetings and a shakeup of personnel at the combined emergency call and dispatch center, E-911 commission members are beginning their search for a new director.

Allen Maxwell, the center’s director for three years, resigned Nov. 3 and the deputy director, Peggy Wright, has been named interim director. The chairman of the commission, Vicksburg Fire Chief Keith Rogers, said there is also one vacant dispatcher position.

Although meetings have not been open to the public, commission members have said there were problems at the dispatch center that included “physical contact” and “screaming and hollering” among the employees.

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The only disciplinary action to come out of those meetings was the suspension of one dispatcher who has since returned to work.

The former chairman of the commission, Warren County Volunteer Fire Coordinator Kelly Worthy, has also stepped down as chairman, but continues to serve on the commission.

The combined dispatch-call center was authorized by voters in 1988 to receive countywide 911 calls and dispatch police, fire, sheriff and volunteer firefighters in Vicksburg and Warren County using then state-of-the-art computers with Caller-ID. It is funded through a telephone surcharge and supplemental payments from the city and county.

Membership of the E-911 Commission is based on positions in city and county governments. The members are the mayor, fire chief, police chief, sheriff, emergency management director, volunteer fire coordinator and a county supervisor.