MILL CREEK — When a Mill Creek woman called 911 on New Year’s Day to report an illegally parked car, transferring her call should have been as simple as a click of a button.
Instead, the dispatcher told her to find a phone book. Look up the 10-digit number for SNOCOM, the dispatcher advised.
"We don’t dispatch for Mill Creek anymore," the dispatcher tells the woman on a tape of the call.
The caller, clearly becoming confused, asked, "So 911 doesn’t work anymore?"
It does, assured Mill Creek Police Chief Bob Crannell. But the department’s switch in 911 providers from Everett-based SNOPAC to Mountlake Terrace-based SNOCOM hasn’t gone smoothly.
Four Mill Creek residents have complained that their 911 calls weren’t automatically transferred from SNOPAC, Crannell said. Police want to know if anyone else has experienced problems.
"The public should not be experiencing any difficulty with this transition," Crannell said. "We do not want anyone to lose confidence in the system; 911 still works."
The department switched 911 providers Dec. 29, opting for the smaller SNOCOM, which also serves Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Brier and Woodway. The agency handled 92,000 calls in 2002.
All 911 calls from Mill Creek automatically go to SNOPAC because the agency still dispatches firefighters in the city. If the caller needs a Mill Creek police officer, the dispatcher transfers the call to SNOCOM.
During the first week of the changeover, "there may have been a little confusion," said SNOPAC director Tom Howell, "but by and large it has gone very well."
The dispatcher who told the Mill Creek caller to look up the number for SNOCOM was new, he said. She and other dispatchers now know to transfer all Mill Creek police calls.
"Our policy is to make sure we redirect the call to the right center," Howell said. "We want to assure people in Mill Creek they’re getting the best possible service."
Mill Creek, which contracted its dispatch service with SNOPAC from 1983 until the end of 2003, simply wants to ensure the public doesn’t get confused, Crannell said.
"It has taken this police department years to convince people to call 911 as the way to contact police," Crannell said. "I don’t want to go back in time when people aren’t using 911."
Except for the concern about calls being transferred, the switch to SNOCOM has benefited Mill Creek, he said.
Because the service handles other south county police departments, dispatchers know the geography better. They also provide a higher level of service to Mill Creek, the chief said.
"The service has been great," he said.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or
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