In June 2000, a survey was published presenting the views of 470 public safety comm center staff members on recruiting, hiring, and retaining qualified staff for the job of 911 call-taker and dispatcher. Vacancies were a major issue, with three-quarters of the comm center respondents reporting one to five vacancies--the remainder had more open positions. A predominant reason for crisis-level staffing was that jobs in the private sector were more attractive in terms of compensation, benefits, and working conditions. In addition, limited career advancement opportunity, the multi-tasking skills required by the job, and the stress of dealing with life or death situations on an ongoing basis severely affected personnel hiring and retention. The article recommends: (1) treating dispatching as a full-fledged career; (2) adjusting salaries to reflect the demands and responsibilities of the job; (3) ensuring that working conditions and shifts are sensitive to employees' concerns; and (4) recognizing, on a continuing basis, the critical nature of the job and its contributions to successful law enforcement.