Overworked and understaffed, Richmond 911 dispatch requires poise under pressure: ‘Some people can handle it, and some people can’t.’

By Erika Zaro | October 15, 2023
Yvonne Lima sits in front of a computer with two screens, her right hand on the mouse, her ringed left hand flat. She is wearing headphones and glasses.

It’s Friday night around 7 p.m. at Richmond’s Communications Center and Yvonne Lima is just 30 minutes into her 12-hour graveyard shift.  The center, which answers emergency and non-emergency phone calls for both Richmond and El Cerrito, is in charge of dispatching police, fire, and medical services. “911 what’s the address of your emergency?” echoes…

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