Cuyahoga Emergency Communications System Audit Department of Public Safety and Justice Services January 1, 2021- December 31, 2021

The Cuyahoga County Department of Internal Auditing (DIA) conducted an audit to assess the effectiveness of Cuyahoga Emergency Communications System (CECOMS) operations and compliance with related emergency response guidelines. The purpose of this audit was to ensure that 9-1-1 calls are answered timely and managed appropriately, and that emergency and response services are managed appropriately. The audit’s purpose was also to determine whether CECOMS was operating in a control conscious environment with adequate controls in place, and if controls do exist, to determine if they were adequate to effectively and efficiently achieve CECOMS goals. The audit found that CECOMS was generally in compliance with relevant Ohio Administrative Code compliance, and that CECOMS appears to be well managed. However, audit procedures also revealed that newly hired employees were not trained in the agency’s emergency medical dispatching protocols, that completion of periodic system tests were not ensured, that CECOMS does not ensure completion of requests for emergency services, and that CECOMS maintained inadequate policies relative to the number of quality assurance reviews necessary to ensure both 9-1-1 and incident response service calls are managed in accordance with proper policies and guidelines.