Thousands of phone calls to 911 last year in St. Joseph County fell on deaf ears.

That’s the claim of the local dispatcher’s union. WSBT reports that around 10,000 calls went unanswered in the county in 2016, due to a staffing shortfall. That number represents about 7-percent of the emergency calls placed in St. Joseph County last year.

The calls weren’t being ignored, but dispatchers were so busy that they were unable to grab the calls before the person on the other end gave up. Dispatchers would usually call the number back when they were able.

The number of dispatchers who will be and should be working at the new 911 center, once it’s completed, remains a matter of debate.