BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A follow-up Kern County grand jury investigation on problems with the county's Emergency Communications Center says the CommunicationsCenter still has problems that could affect officer and public safety.

The follow-up investigation says the Emergency Communication Center is not meeting federal guidelines, but the Sheriffs Office which runs the Communication Center says they are.

Every day, dispatchers there handle approximately 1,400 calls.

According to the investigation from March and April last year, current staffing levels are making it difficult to answer emergency calls.

It said the Communication Center is short staffed every day at critical times, something the Sheriffs Office disputes.

Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy RoseMary Wahl said "If we need to call somebody in we'll call them in to have adequate staff and if it's busy and it's the end of someone's shift, they're going to stay and work overtime."

The Sheriff's Office said it's constantly trying to recruit dispatchers and have applied for federal grants to add 10 more positions. In response to the initial grand jury investigation, it's filled four vacancies.

The report says the staffing level is affecting performance. The report found 581 calls took one to two minutes to be answered. Federal guidelines requires calls to be answered within 10 seconds.

"Those are federal guidelines. We're not breaking any laws or anything by not getting to them in 10 seconds though we do strive for those. We prioritize by the importance, degree of violence, and what's occurring at the scene and we manage them that way," said Wahl.

The Sheriff's Office said the report did not take into consideration supervisor lines, non emergency lines, and non public lines.

The report responded, saying,"Dispatchers need to treat all incoming seven-digit calls as potential emergencies."

Wahl said, "We're doing a good job. We're not getting alot of complaints so that tells me we're responding to the communities needs."

The grand jury committee doesn't feel the same. It said the Communication Center has "A perceived unwillingness to improve" its problems which could "affect officer and public safety."

Wahl said "I think that's a strong word. It's quite contrary as our actions have demonstrated. We are willing to improve and we want to be the premiere com center."