Fourteen dispatchers are supposed to staff the Harbor Police communications center. But by March, so few were available that cross-trained police officers were helping answer emergency calls.
Eight of the dispatcher jobs were filled, but two people were out on leave, and two others were trainees, still learning the job and working under the supervision of a training officer.
“This leaves us with four remaining certified dispatchers,” police Capt. Chris Woodward told the Board of Port Commissioners at their March 10 meeting. “Current staffing levels are not sustainable, and we need immediate relief.”
The staffing crunch prompted department managers to seek special permission to rehire recently retired dispatchers to help with the more than 5,000 calls the center handles monthly. Harbor Police operate under the Port of San Diego and provide law enforcement on and off the water around San Diego Bay, at San Diego International Airport and in and along the waterfronts of San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach and Coronado.
Retirements and dispatchers on leave have left the department shorthanded. Filling those jobs takes time: Officials say it typically takes nine to 12 months for a candidate to go through the port’s hiring process, while training a new dispatcher can take another year.
In February, port commissioners adopted several mid-year port budget adjustments, including a request for $300,000 for temporary dispatcher employees.
At the time, Harbor Police Chief Magna Fernandez told commissioners her plan was to hire a consultant who “specializes in dispatchers” who could recruit experienced candidates. The goal, she said, was to hire two people who could start immediately.
A port spokesperson last week said a contract with a staffing agency had not yet been finalized.
Fernandez said her department is taking a “multi-point approach” to try to recruit and retain dispatchers, including prioritizing background checks. She said communication center staffing shortages are “an epidemic” across law enforcement agencies.
At a meeting in March, two port commissioners expressed concern that the staffing problem was not being resolved more quickly. Commissioner Michael Zucchet said he wasn’t “feeling the urgency” around the matter, and noted that paying Harbor police officers to fill in at the communications center was a “costly and inefficient” option.
Zucchet urged the department to streamline its hiring timeline. “Who in their right mind would apply for a job and be willing to get an acceptance a year later?” he asked.
In 2025, the port district’s human resources department processed 501 dispatcher applications, but only three employees were eventually hired.
Officials say they have high standards in both vetting and training because dispatchers play a critical role in public safety and have access to sensitive systems and information. Job applicants complete an assessment — taking and dispatching simulated emergency calls — go through interviews and have to pass a comprehensive background investigation.
Woodward, the police captain, said his department has hired an outside company to assist in completing applicant background checks more quickly. The department is also acquiring software that will allow some application steps to be digitized, meaning work can be done online rather than mailing forms back and forth or having people fill out paperwork in person.
Officials say the department also plans to seek lateral transfers from other local police agencies.
At the March meeting, commissioners voted to give staff permission to rehire a 23-year veteran dispatcher who retired from Harbor Police in January. At its May meeting, the board will be asked to approve a similar exception, waiving a waiting period required by public pension plans, a port spokesperson said.
Under California law, retirees are not allowed to be rehired by a public employer under the same pension system within 180 days of retiring unless the appointment is deemed necessary to fill a critically needed position and is approved in a public meeting.
Emergency communication centers around the country face chronic workforce shortages and strains, according to a spokesperson with the nonprofit National Emergency Number Association, or NENA. A survey by the group in 2025 showed slight improvement, with 74% of respondents reporting their center had open positions compared to 82% the previous year.
Several agencies in San Diego County are looking to hire dispatchers.
As of March 1, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office had 17 openings among its 115 dispatcher positions. The San Diego Police Department had four vacancies out of its 87 phone dispatcher positions, and eight vacancies for its 44 radio dispatcher jobs.
The San Diego Police Department’s hiring process typically takes six to nine months. The Sheriff’s Office said it typically takes six months to a year to get hired as a dispatcher.
Oceanside police have 25 full-time dispatcher positions with four vacancies. Its hiring process from application to start date typically takes three to four months. Escondido police have 23 dispatcher positions with two vacancies. Its hiring process takes three to six months.
Port officials point to progress made in recent weeks on the hiring front. They also say Harbor Police dispatchers answered more than 99% of calls within 15 seconds in the past year.
Two dispatchers have been hired and are being trained, and three candidates have pending job offers, port spokesperson Gabriella Rodriguez said.
There are 25 people currently in background checks. Two jobs remain vacant. “I think we are in a much better position than we were in March, that’s obvious,” she said.
Officials say people interested in learning about sworn and non-sworn positions in the Harbor Police Department can attend an open house at the Port Administration building on June 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.