Two Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporters received an award from the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association last week for their work highlighting problems affecting Little Rock's 911 call center.
Chelsea Boozer, who covers Little Rock government, and Ryan Tarinelli, who covers crime and police news, collaborated last year to report on understaffing, long wait times and low salaries at the city's emergency response communications center.
They received the trial lawyers' 2018 Citizen Merit Award at the group's annual convention in Eureka Springs. The award recognizes "outstanding contributions toward fighting to protect the rights, safety, and the liberties of all Arkansas," according to a news release.
The first of the series of articles written by Tarinelli and Boozer relied on records produced through state Freedom of Information Act requests and court documents in two cases involving a car crash that resulted in the deaths of a child and his mother. Delays in the emergency response to the accident were a factor in the fatalities.
After the initial article, the city announced pay raises for 911 call takers and dispatchers. A follow-up article reported that the city received more than 50 applicants for vacant call-taker and dispatcher positions and that the call center was expected to be fully staffed this year.
"The raises and subsequent work to fill positions by the City of Little Rock was a direct result of the tremendous reporting of Chelsea Boozer and Ryan Tarinelli. Their reporting efforts have made Little Rock a safer place with a more functional 911 system." the lawyers group said in its news release.
"This fight for safety continues," the group said, noting that a recent article by Boozer and Tarinelli revealed deficiencies remain at the call center.
The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, founded in 1963, says it is a statewide association of about 1,000 attorneys established to protect Arkansans' constitutional right to a trial by jury.
Metro on 05/05/2018