Pamela Cooper was hospitalized and later died after working mandatory overtime while recovering from COVID-19. PHOENIX – An HR investigation into the death of Phoenix Police 911 operator Pamela Cooper found that a supervisor violated guidelines by not sending Cooper home when she felt sick. Cooper died on March 5 after serving nearly a week on a life support. She was hospitalized hours after her last shift at the call center. She reportedly worked a 15-hour day while recovering from a nearly 5-week break with COVID-19. The 15-hour day consisted of her normal 10-hour shift plus 5 hours of city-mandated bridging, which resulted in additional overtime for the employee assigned to work. At the time, the City of Phoenix announced that some shipping center employees may have to work days off or extended hours if the minimum staffing needs are not met. An investigation by 12 News found that Phoenix police call centers were chronically understaffed at the time of Cooper’s death and in the months prior to her death. DOCUMENT: Incident Investigation Report Internal messages from 12 News show that Pamela Cooper sent a message with her manager on February 26, 2021: At 3:52 p.m., Cooper’s manager sent her a message: UNTIL 2330 THANK YOU “. Cooper replied at 3:54 pm, “I MIGHT DIE, BUT OK.” The supervisor wrote back at 3:55 pm: “PLEASE DON’T WATCH MY WATCH TO THE MANDO MART OVER.” At 3:56 pm, Cooper replied, “I ONLY COME BACK FROM COVID FOR A MONTH … I CAN BEARLY WALK OE [sic] TAKE A DEEP BREATH. I WILL STAY SITTING .. 🙁 “LINK: Help letter sent to Phoenix City Manager months prior to the operator’s death. A” MANDO MART “was described as a place where employees working overtime would pick up snacks or food When asked why he responded this way, the personnel report shows that the supervisor states that he thinks Cooper is “sarcastic” and that he has not physically seen her showing any symptoms. The supervisor’s response from the investigation report: ” I never observed physically [Cooper] on this day. I was monitoring from the Elwood facility and she worked at the Police Headquarters facility (620). Your messages were perceived as sarcastic. I think if someone were really sick they would have reported it to me and not consented or promised to work. Likewise, [she] was still in possession of her “free” pass to use. ”The free pass this manager is referring to is one of several allegations the HR investigation sought to verify after Cooper’s death. Recruiters found the supervisor’s breach of guidelines by failing to send Cooper home after claiming she was not doing well. The report also recommended that this manager be given “corrective actions”. RELATED: The Late 911 Dispatcher’s Family Moves to Sue the City of Phoenix for $ 35 million. City recruiters found this claim was unfounded and that no operators had been contacted on the matter from March 2020 to the time of the investigation. Regarding the “free pass,” the city stated that Cooper had a pass that could have excused them from the mandatory override with no questions or implications, but they did not request to use that pass when they were assigned to stay. The report shows that in December 2020 and January 2021, 45 operators contracted COVID-19, which is about 19%, or nearly a fifth, of the workforce. A union representing Phoenix dispatchers confirmed in March that 911 operators typically worked at least 8 additional hours a week and that the pandemic and disease were contributing to the staff shortage. In early March, the city of Phoenix announced that they had been down on more than 43 police dispatchers. At the time, the city said it had lost eleven police officers since early 2021. The city is actively trying to hire more operators and has even passed certain incentives such as increased starting salaries to recruit qualified candidates. The HR investigation found two other policy violations where employees violated social distancing rules by gathering in groups within call center locations and employees moving plexiglass barriers put in place as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19 . Pamela Cooper’s husband filed a $ 35 million lawsuit against the City of Phoenix in late March. He also wants an independent investigation into her death. 12 News on YouTube Learn about other 12 news investigations by subscribing to the 12 News YouTube channel and viewing our I-Team playlist.
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