State Police CACD reports hotline volume, staffing shortfall and case statistics
August 23, 2022 | CHILDREN AND YOUTH COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
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Major Jeff Drew, commander of the Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Child Division (CACD), delivered the division’s April–June quarterly oversight report to the Senate Children and Youth Committee and answered members’ questions about hotline wait times.
Drew reported the hotline received 15,086 calls in the quarter and accepted 8,803; CACD handled 1,778 of those matters while DCFS handled 5,687 and differential response accounted for 1,338. He said the division submitted 631 charges to prosecutors in the period; of those, 235 charges were filed, 251 remained pending and 45 were declined.
On staffing and wait times, Drew acknowledged a shortage in hotline staffing: 35 positions are funded but 26 were filled at the time of the report. He said automation and a portal currently in testing are expected to speed call handling and reduce wait times. “We're working on it,” Major Drew said when asked about social‑media complaints regarding call wait times.
Members asked whether current call volumes were higher than in the same period last year; Drew said the division was seeing about 359 fewer calls than the same time last year. He also provided statistics on open and closed cases in the quarter and the substantiation rate for closed cases (571 substantiated of 1,628 closed; 35% substantiation rate).
Next steps: Major Drew said the division is testing technological solutions and continuing recruitment to fill hotline vacancies; committee members thanked him for the report.
Drew reported the hotline received 15,086 calls in the quarter and accepted 8,803; CACD handled 1,778 of those matters while DCFS handled 5,687 and differential response accounted for 1,338. He said the division submitted 631 charges to prosecutors in the period; of those, 235 charges were filed, 251 remained pending and 45 were declined.
On staffing and wait times, Drew acknowledged a shortage in hotline staffing: 35 positions are funded but 26 were filled at the time of the report. He said automation and a portal currently in testing are expected to speed call handling and reduce wait times. “We're working on it,” Major Drew said when asked about social‑media complaints regarding call wait times.
Members asked whether current call volumes were higher than in the same period last year; Drew said the division was seeing about 359 fewer calls than the same time last year. He also provided statistics on open and closed cases in the quarter and the substantiation rate for closed cases (571 substantiated of 1,628 closed; 35% substantiation rate).
Next steps: Major Drew said the division is testing technological solutions and continuing recruitment to fill hotline vacancies; committee members thanked him for the report.
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