So what does everybody think about centralized dispatch?
UPDATE: this has been quite a comment thread, but it appears that some false information has been included in one of the anonymous comments. Several points here: 1) when a public official puts his name and phone number on this website, we will assume he means business - or at the very least is more credible than an anonymous commenter. From looking at all the comments, it seems pretty clear that nobody from the GFD has been fired. If you have a problem with that, call Mr. Wilcox; 2) you're all responsible for your own comments here. This is not just website policy, but the law. You can check it out in the Visitors Agreement at the bottom-left of this page. If you write false allegations, you do so at your own legal peril; 3) what does the alleged firing of a fireman have to do with centralized dispatch? Please stay on topic.
The comments on this story are now closed. If you absolutely must add something else, send an email.
At first I think everyone needs to understand the current setup.
ReplyDeleteIn Darke County there are two dispatch centers. One is a department of the Sheriff's Office which puts it under the Sheriff and County Commissioners. They receive all cellular 911 calls and all landline 911 calls except those in the Greenville city limits. The center dispatches for the Sheriff's Office, all village police departments except Union City (dispatched by UCIPD), all fire departments except Greenville City Fire, and all EMS agencies. The local number is 548-2020.
The other is part of the Greenville Police Department/City of Greenville. They receive landline 911 calls from inside the city limits and dispatch Greenville PD and City FD. The local number is 548-1103.
The dispatch centers collaborate using an intercom and can transfer 911 calls between the centers as necessary. Because both departments use the same software (BMV/NCIC/FBI, mapping, CAD), 911 system, and radio system they can act as backup sites for each other if ever necessary.
I know this comment im about ready to say is not a reality for the bad politics in this City and county. Do whatever is right for the public.
ReplyDeleteSo they are switching things up and only going to be having one dispatch?
ReplyDeleteSo no Darke dispatch AND Greenville Dispatch? It will be a solo operation?
Is there a cause for concern to only have one? I'm missing the issue here. Are some people concerned about not having a backup? Do other counties similar to Darke have multiples?
ReplyDeleteOn the surface, it seems redundant, but i only know what i've read here just now.
That's what they're talking about. This came up about 4 years ago and the County said that after a few years of free dipatch service, they would probably have to charge the City for their services. The only problem was that they wouldn't give any information on how much they would charge. One of the big questions was also why they would charge Greenville when they have never charged any other department to dispatch for them.
ReplyDeleteA good question to ask is if this does happen and the County's system goes down (as it has several times in the past)who will be their backup? Or will we have no emergency services in Darke County until whatever problem is fixed?
ReplyDeleteI think this will be good for the public and could save precious time. I also think having a "back-up" is a very good thing.
ReplyDeletecity will not give up controll,then the c. comm. think they will have to buy a new building to move disp.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly there used to be a back up dispatch consule in Wayne Hospital. I don't know if it is still there or not, but...
ReplyDeleteIf something works, why fix it. There are pressing problems in the county which need our city/county officials attention. Combining the two dispatch centers will not solve a problem. There is no problem. Could it save money? Maybe, but the few dollars saved will quickly be eaten up by the hours (and overtime hours) our city and county adminstrators, employees and hired consultants will be spending figuring out 1.) if this is possible, 2.) how to make it work, and 3.) fixing all the problems this is going to create. Do use a favor. Stop spending more time and money on projects you have researched and found not to be feasable just four years ago. Start using tax dollars wisely or give that money back to the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteThe point is to establish a county-wide dispatch that is not under any elected or appointed official. Rather establish an entity that is run by a board, usually consisting of public safety officials, some elected officials and representatives of the general public. This board would hire an administrator to run the operation. Miami County has had this system for over 20 years. Mercer county is in a similar system. For the most part, this all makes entirely too much sense. For the most part it has to do with a lot of things. The first thing is that any system can be made redundant. Since the equipment is already in place leave it there. Public Service Answering Points (PSAP's) are places where 911 calls are answered. There are two of those in Darke County, one at the Sheriff's office and one at the city of Greenville. It was a rather large deal when 911 came to Greenville. Police nor fire wanted to give up their identity by having one person answering the phone. Twenty years later, no one knows the difference. For villages, there was formerly a "fire bar" that all volunteer FD's had. Every fire fighter in the county had a fire phone number that was also attached to their phone and rang into each firefighter's home when the fire number was called. Then EMS came along, and finally village police officers needed someone to answer their phone. The Sheriff's office ended up with all of this by default. Wouldn't it be nice to have something planned for once.
ReplyDeleteIf commissioners start crying about building a new building to house dispatch… hell they bought an entire shopping plaza, so we citizens of Darke County should scream at their stupidity! and tell them to move it in there. The county should not be in competition with people and companies in the rental business anyway!
ReplyDeleteMercer county also has two dispatch centers much like Darke County. The Sheriff's Office has a dispatch center which dispatches all county Law Enforcement (except Celina) and Fire and EMS. But there is also Celina P.D. Dispatch which dispatches Celina P.D., but can also dispatch Celina F.D. The most important thing that needs to happen with communications is interoperability. Entities MUST be able to communicate efficiently and quickly when it matters. The county EMA needs to be in on this goal. This is where the biggest problems lie when it comes to Emergency Management. Look at 9/11...the biggest hinderance to that whole operation in NYC was the lack of communication due to a lcak of interoperability and overflowing dispatch centers. I say keep them separate, but make sure....and I mean VERY sure that when the rubber meets the road...that everyone can talk to each other.
ReplyDeleteMerer County ??? Wheres that at ??? Are you from Mercer county reading Darke Journal ?? cool
ReplyDeleteA new facility mentioned? The communications center at the sheriff's office already has the space and equipment. Currently there are 3 complete consoles. A fourth console has a phone, computer, and backup radio. Two of those seats sit empty at any given time. A new facility isn't necessary.
ReplyDeleteCurrently both departments have 2 dispatchers on duty. By combining the load can be shared, whereas now it cannot. If the county dispatch is busy and city is not, the city can't do much to help, and vice versa. In a combined form, it would only be necessary to have 3 dispatchers on duty for first and third shift. On second shift a fourth dispatcher would probably be necessary, especially on the weekends.
In terms of man hours, you go from 96 hours per day for two centers to 80 hours per day for a combined center. Let's say an average dispatcher salary with benefits is $17/hr (this is an estimate). By saving 16 hours a day for a year, you save the tax payers $93,440 annually.
There are other positives, as well as a few negatives, but there is certainly potential to provide a more efficient service at a lower cost.
There may be cost savings/revenue posiblities for the County, but it is the City who is going to be robbed. I think this sounds like a way for Darke County to get new updated equipment at the City's expense. Robbing Peter to pay Paul never works out very well. The citizens of Greenville are going to be the big losers. If this truly was a merger for the betterment of all, it would be a merger and not a take over by Darke County. During a merger both sides merge equally. Darke County wants to take over and have only Greenville City Employees lose their jobs, benefits and senority. That is a fact. What else is going to be affected? Greenville citizens may only find out when it is too late.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point of consolidated despatch? Is the sheriff's department getting power happy? As a citizen, I am pleased with the job of our emergency professionals. Don't fix something that's not broken. Put your money and efforts in what really needs work, economic development.
ReplyDeleteI agree. What's the point? All to often we fix what isn't broken and end up breaking it. Look at the real problems in our community. Act on what counts, not on what might look good on paper.
ReplyDeleteThe sheriff's office and GPD have had virtually all of their equipment replaced within the last 5 years. That isn't an issue.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't the sheriff's office looking to "take over" city dispatch. Pay attention. The City of Greenville is trying hard to cut expenses and increase revenue. Start an EMS service...no go. Outsource dispatch...
Centralized dispatch is popular nationwide and more and more counties are moving to it. Miami and Montgomery County are centralized. The point is that it saves money and is more efficient. Calls don't get transferred and information doesn't have to be relayed. Central communications is an essential part of emergency operations...it has been for years. It improves the flow and sharing of information. It works for large incidents and it works for day-to-day emergencies.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who owns a scanner should listen and they would realize that there are times that even with 2 dispatchers working at either department things can become overwhelming. Not necessarily every day or all day, but when it occurs it is definitely a benefit to have that many people working. So how is it going to be beneficial to hire 3 people at DCSO to cover what 6 people do at Greenville PD? It's not. I believe there would be a definite decrease in quality and efficiency of service for the citizens of Greenville. There was a definite reason Greenville City Council decided not to combine dispatch 4 years ago and it is a waste of time to be revisiting the idea now. I'm sure there are more important matters in Greenville that need their time and attention.
ReplyDeleteSo here's a thought. What if I'm walking in downtown Greenville and the unthinkable happens that someone starts to chase me with the intent to rob me or cause me harm. My first thought is to run to the police department, but when I get there nobody is there because all of the officers are out on patrol and there is no longer a dispatcher there to help me. What happens then? Also what happens when some or all of the city dispatchers lose their jobs. Granted, there are only 6 people. But I'm sure some of those people own homes in the city and have cars financed locally and shop locally. How is it good for the city to have more unemployed citizens?
ReplyDeletePutting up to six city employees out of work? Then, are taxpayers going to have to pay their unemployment? We lose tax revenue by moving jobs out of the city. Unless there is a major cost savings that hasn't been presented yet, keep city employed in the city. We don't need more people on the unemployment lines.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with you people? Who said anything about a take over? It would be so nice if three people who read this and the newspaper, understood exactly how government works. Did you all flunk Civics or just not pay attention?
ReplyDeleteRather than making blind topics for discussion, it would be nice to see the Darke Journal post some facts along with the topic of discussion so posters have some factual information to read before posting.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of the posters obviously know very little when it comes to the idea of a Centralized Dispatch Center.
IF it can save taxpayers money, go for it! The county must not get greedy and the city police & fire chiefs have to get off their ego trains and not worry about being in control. The police secretary could quit wasting all her time on the acredidation work and be a receptionist. The officers could be on the street instead of sitting at dispatch. The current city dispatchers should be hired and retain wage/senority levels they have now. Do the right thing for a change! There should be a board to oversee operations, not just a felon.
ReplyDeleteHow is centralizing dispatch going to allow the police secretary to stop spending time on accredidation? Does this mean the city police department won't be accredited any more if they lose dispatch operations?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I can add some information on this subject since I was a part of it 4 years ago. I was asked by several people to look into the dispatch situation in Greenville because they thought it could be dangerous, and a waste of taxpayer money, so here is what happened. One time we had a meeting in the township house with the city, I believe it was Mayor Fraley among others, the Township trustees and Sheriff Spencer. I said that we were asked by some citizens why there were 2 dispatches in Darke County, because if you lived in the township and called 911 for a fire, your call first went to the county, who then called the city dispatch, who then dropped tone on the fire department. If you live in the city and needed an ambulance and called 911, your call went to the city, then the county, then to the rescue squad. This seemed like just one step too many, and could lead to information being relayed improperly, or worse. When asked if the sheriffs department could handle the workload, Sheriff Spencer stated that would be no problem because he already dispatched for something like 30 other departments already and had enough capacity and staff to handle the load. He was then asked, I believe it was Mayor Fraley, what the service would cost. Sheriff Spencer said it would cost the city nothing. He was then asked what would it cost 10 years down the road, and he replied that he had no idea, and could the city project what there budget would be 10 years down the road? Both agreed that they could not predict the future. The city then stated that at that time, they did not want to give up that power, so nothing was done. I don't know why this has come up again, so can someone tell me has the city or county asked about this situation again?
ReplyDeleteThe city has asked about this situation
ReplyDeleteI think that all Counties will have to go to centralized Dispatch, or even regional dispatch, at least they should. When all of a county stops a "pissing contest" to see who can piss the farthest they will realize that is the best for all concerned. To see the successful operation of a regional dispatch center you only have to go south to Hamilton Dispatch, they have been dispatching for many police, fire and rescue services for decades, I am sure they had some growing pains as all departments have had, once all concerned realize what is best for the public (which is the reason you are involved in fire and rescue, "To Protect and Serve" remember?)they will come to the logical conclusion that what is best for the public may not be what is best for them, but in the long haul it is the direction that they will, and should, take.
ReplyDeleteThe County needs to concentrate on their own issues, such as the budget cuts, layoffs, etc. We seem to be doing just fine with 2 separate dispatches. I agree with previous statements that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why do some groups always want to mess up things that are running smoothly as is? We need all the coverage for assistance that we can get! Better to have 2 places to call for help than only 1.
ReplyDeleteHow does Darke County plan to fund additional salaries and equipment? They have already cut hours in other county offices so they obviously do not have extra money to spend. They can't even cover the salaries of existing county employees. That is going to leave the City of Greenville to foot most or all of the bill. And let's face it, nobody, especially in government, does anything without a potential for a profit. So maybe this is the county's way of bailing themselves out of whatever financial crisis they may be in. I would prefer my tax dollars to stay in the city and not be sent directly to Darke County.
ReplyDeleteHow can the County afford to do this when they are already cutting hours and talking about layoffs?
ReplyDeleteIt's not like Greenville PD will just shut it's dispatch center down one day and the County will take over the next. There will be a lot of little things that they have to consider before they just jump into this. Whoever said that the OT for just looking into this would outweigh any money the city would save is dead on. Look at all the time and money the City wasted on EMS feasibility. Didn't they decide 4 years ago that this wasn't feasible? So why waste the money now to look at something they already found wouldn't work?!
And how can the Sheriff say it's "no problem" to add another City to their workload? If you listen to a scanner, Greenville PD alone has more radio traffic than all the villages put together. So how are they going to handle almost twice as much work as they have now and not hire extra assistance. I think that is a big safety issue for the public.
Right now, if you call 911 you have at least 2 people at the County who can answer and 1 or 2 people at the City who can answer. How can you say that it would be safer for the public for only 2 people to answer the phones? Have you ever worked in a dispatch center when there is a 1st alarm structure fire and 2 accidents with injuries? 2 people cannot handle all the calls that come in plus dispatch everyone.
If this centralized dispatch does happen, the citizens of Greenville may be in serious danger.
"What if I'm walking in downtown Greenville and the unthinkable happens that someone starts to chase me with the intent to rob me or cause me harm. My first thought is to run to the police department, but when I get there nobody is there because all of the officers are out on patrol and there is no longer a dispatcher there to help me."
ReplyDeleteThe dispatcher(s) on duty sit in a secure room, they are not going to come out and help you.
The dispatcher can get help there a lot quicker if they are there. It's a lot quicker for a dispatcher sitting in their "secure room" to call an officer than for someone who is in trouble to call the Sheriff's Office and wait for someone to answer, then wait some more while they dispatch a Greenville Police Officer (if they can dispatch one, since everyone will be on the same radio frequency and they may have to wait while a Darke County unit is making a traffic stop).
ReplyDelete"This seemed like just one step too many, and could lead to information being relayed improperly, or worse."
ReplyDeleteMr. Stegall,
Can you show any instances where this led to "information being relayed improperly, or worse"? Is there any proof that having 2 dispatch centers has put someone's life in danger or caused a delay in getting emergency services to someone?
I think both dispatch centers work very well together and this whole situation is just putting a strain on that relationship. No one wants to work with people who are trying to force them out of a job. And please don't say that they plan on hiring all of Greenville's dispatchers, because it's already been stated that the Sheriff's Office MAY only hire 3 part-time employees (and that doesn't mean they have to hire Greenville's dispatchers!). This not only affects the dispatchers, it affects the way the officers and deputies work together too. I believe that before this was brought up, the 2 departments were working together better than they ever have. When you come in and take away jobs and try to "fix something that isn't broken" you cause more problems than you started with.
That may be true the dispatcher can't leave the room to help you, but it's human nature that if you know someone is sitting there watching your every move you're more likely not to commit a serious crime. Plus the dispatcher can summon help quicker than for someone who is already hysterical to locate a phone and figure out they need to call the sheriff's office. Ever hear the saying "Dispatchers save seconds, seconds save lives." I believe in this situation that would be true. The dispatcher would immediately realize the person needs help & call officers in. The officer could be there quicker than the person could get a call through to DCSO because their understaffed dispatch center would be too busy handling other calls.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Are we actually debating this ridiculous "if I were being chased and ran to the police department" idea? This has to be the absolute worst arguement anyone has ever made for keeping a dispatch center open.
ReplyDeleteViolent crime is extremely low in Darke County. Yes, there are fights, but rare is it that a victim is minding their own business and are assaulted. We then have to assume the potential victim can outrun the bad guy, the chase is occuring near the PD, and that no officer is on station requiring the dispatcher to summon one. Common people, a little common sense.
"How does Darke County plan to fund additional salaries and equipment?"
ReplyDeleteAdditional equipment isn't necessary. The City would likely pay the County something for the service, providing funds for salaries. However, it would be less than the City pays to operate the service themself, resulting in lowered expenses for the City.
"How can you say that it would be safer for the public for only 2 people to answer the phones? Have you ever worked in a dispatch center when there is a 1st alarm structure fire and 2 accidents with injuries? 2 people cannot handle all the calls that come in plus dispatch everyone."
There would be at least 3 people at all times, probaby 4 during the busiest hours.
In your sceanario, central dispatch makes more sense, not less. Right now the departments can't share the workload as they have their own responsibilities. The more people you have doing the SAME job the easier it is to carry the load. If the city is operating with only 1 dispatcher as they often do and that dispatcher gets busy the county can't provide much help.
If all 3 dispatchers on duty in the county are in the same location they can accomplish more. It's the old, "the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts" saying.
This isn't an "if it's ain't broke" arguement. There is the possibility of having a more efficient service/system that costs less to operate. I contend, just because it isn't broken doesn't mean it can't be improved.
While it may be true that the chances of a violent crime happening to a random person are low in the city of Greenville that doesn't mean that someone who may have provoked the incident doesn't deserve help as well. There are many times that someone being followed in a vehicle will come to the police department. Sometimes people who have home phones will even choose to leave their houses to come to the police department for assistance. So yes, it is unlikely someone will randomly be attacked near the police department, but what about all the other people that go there for assistance. For everyone that has to come to the police department just to have to call the sheriff's office for help that is an additional call added to the already busy call load of the dispatchers.
ReplyDeleteSomething most people dont know is all the work that the dispatchers at the city do. Not only do they dispatch police, fire and relay ems calls in the city, they also do an extrordinary amount of clerical work for the police dept.
ReplyDeleteThe dispatchers at the city act as a liasion between the pd and the courts, enter all the citations,not counting all the walk-in "customers". No matter if this happens or not these other jobs will have to be done by someone. Leave things alone this system works well for the citizens served!!!
If anyone says people don't run to the police department for help when they are in trouble is mistaken. It doesn't happen everyday, but it does happen more than people think. The Greenville Police Department, Darke County Sheriff's Department and all the other public safety organizations are there to serve the public, each and every time. The fact is police service WILL be reduced if dispatch is combined. People WILL loose their jobs. It is a money issue. Just how much is the City willing to spend to keep police service at a higher standard is the question. I guess we will soon find out how much value City Council places on our safety and security.
ReplyDelete"More Efficient"? How well police departments function is measured by more than how fast someone answers 911. Yes, 911 will be answered either way. But the key here is what happens after 911 is answered. How well will the calls be dispatched? How well will the dispatcher know or care about each officer? How well will the dispatcher be able to anticapate what the officer is going to need to help them? How much time will the dispatcher be able to spend with each caller? How well will the dispatcher know the residents, streets and trouble areas? If Darke County TAKES OVER Greenville dispatch, there will be a drop in service for the citizens of Greenville and anyone who states otherwise is living in a fantasy. Keep dispatch in Greenville!
ReplyDeleteIn his quest to take over everything the way he thinks it should be, Mr. Stegall missed one thing. I think Greenville Township should take over everything. Did you notice the meeting that he talked about didn't include two of the major players, the police and fire chiefs of Greenville. The dispatch desk performs a number of functions that were mentioned above. It is the front door to the City of Greenville just a a jailer is the front desk at the county. Both dispatch centers are directly linked by intercom and the consoles are all exactly the same. Each dispatch center can talk to the same people at any time. Some of the money problems that the county has could be eliminated if the county did charge the villages and townships for the services provided by Darke Dispatch. Some of these ideas that people come up with have a history and they are done a certain way because of how the thing was "born" in the beginning. Although Miami County has a central dispatch, both Piqua and Troy have a person "on the desk" to take care of the walk-ins. After a city gets to be a certain size, there are things that become a necessity. Having someone to "answer the door" is one of those things. Mike Stegall should take some government management classes or stick with dump trucks.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that the city council looked into this four years ago and found it to be a bad idea? If so, why are they looking at it again. I think the City Council and Mayor should look for new solutions to their money problems instead of beating a dead horse. If they say yes now, it will prove they care more about their pet projects (the circle impovements) then they do about the safety of the people.
ReplyDeleteYes, the city/county looked at this in the past, city chiefs didn't want to give up their alleged power, even if they weren't at meeting, they whined to people behind the scenes. County said they may charge Greenville for service even though they don't charge other towns. Issue went away. If the county, township, & city leaders(fire & police chief) could get over the turf battle problems, I think all would be suprised at how smooth things could run. The lower level people aren't the problem, except when they are threatened by their superiors to think the same way.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that might be bringing this back to light is the Mandate for Narrow Banding Frequentcies. The Federal government has mandated that by the end of Dec. 2012 Narrow banding needs to be in place, this mandate is forcing almost all Fire, Police, EMS, and Sheriff to spend alot of money to comply. I'm not sure if the equipment at the Police or Sheriff's Dispatch is new enough to handle this narrow banding, I know the officers equipment for Sheriff and Police will need to be changed.
ReplyDeleteI would be willing to bet at least one person posting on this site would feel differently if Greenville PD agreed to the terms of combined dispatch on the condition that the center would be run by the PD instead of the Sheriff's office and half of the county dispatchers would get hired part time and that the city council could charge the county a fee to cover their salaries. Then when the city has a deficit they can just up the fee for dispatching for the county. Can someone also explain to me how the superiors are threatening the "lower level people" to think a certain way?
ReplyDeleteOct 12 4:19 pm
ReplyDelete- So are you saying that the "lower level people" think this is a great idea?! Yes, I'm sure all the "lower level people" want to lose their jobs or be hired at a different department and lose all their senority, vacation time, etc. Have you spoken with any of the "lower level people" at either deptartment? I'm not sure that the "lower level people" at either department think this is a good idea. I think this issue is more important to the "lower level people" than it is for "their superiors".
If Darke journal would care to ask, I bet Sheriff Spencer could answer a lot of questions. I am sorry that I did not mention who all was at the meeting I mentioned, I was doing it from memory. I will try to remember and check the township minutes to see who all was there, but if I remember, Chief Wolf may have been there.
ReplyDeleteWho is being threatened? No one I know. Maybe Greenville depatchers can see the difference this will make to the service offered better than someone who is sitting in an office and fighting their own agendas. The majority of dispatchers on both sides are not for this proposal. Of course, Greenville Dispatchers would be happier if, having to make a choice, Centralized dispatch was taken over by Greenville. Just like Darke County Dispatcher would rather have dispatch in their department if this proposal was forced upon them. This is not about making dispatchers happy. It is all about what is right and what will provide the best service to all Darke County residents. I don't want anyone to lose their job. I don't want any service to drop. I want dispatch to stay they way it is now.
ReplyDeleteI don't see the Sheriff willing to give up power. I don't see Brandon willing to give up power. Why don't we combine the two, give dispatcher jobs in the new regional dispatch center according to senority, allow dispatchers to retain their vacation status, sick leave days and personal days, form a new board to oversee it with city, county, township and dispatcher members then begin talking about who is best to run the department on a daily basis?
ReplyDeleteThere have been many stories in the Daily Advocate about dispatchers being too busy during curtain emergencies - snow and ice storms. How are we going to have any better service in Darke County when they add all of Greenville's calls? To me, the Sheriff is biting off more than he can chew.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the city taking over, that wouldn't make sense. The county already has the space and equipment. Look at the numbers:
ReplyDeleteDCSO dispatches for 25 police, fire, and EMS departments plus after-hours for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Animal Shelter, Shelter from Violence, Red Cross, Job & Family Services, Human Society, Probation, Juvenile Probation, and Gateway. They serve approximately 40,000 people.
Greenville Police Department dispatches for 2 departments and serves approximately 13,000 people.
Who would you want running the show?
Who's talking about the City taking over anything?! That has not been mentioned by anyone in the City or the County as far as I am aware. And it sounds like the County is far too busy to add even MORE work to their underpaid, overworked employees.
ReplyDeleteSounds like there is a turf war on both sides. Maybe both sides ought to remember that crime is the real enemy... Well crime and whoever brought this idea up and caused law enforcement to lose focus on the what is really important. Two organizations that were running well are know fighting and agrueing. Congratulations John Schmidt.
ReplyDeleteI believe the mention of the City taking over dispatch was only to make a point that those in support of combining dispatch only feel that way because under the current proposal everything would become under the control of the sheriff's office. Those not currently under the threat of losing their jobs, salaries, seniority, etc...would look at things differently if roles were reversed. So thank you for proving my point as you immediately pointed out all the reasons combining dispatch won't work. By the way, the Greenville Police Department also has to make contact with the probation departments, the animal shelter, the humane society, and the emergency shelter, among others.
ReplyDeleteI guess the silver lining for those hired if dispatch combines is it must be nearly impossible to be fired if you work for the county. Even if you commit a felony they'll send someone to pick you up from jail so you can still make it in to work.
"And it sounds like the County is far too busy to add even MORE work to their underpaid, overworked employees."
ReplyDeleteThere would be 1-2 more people per shift. Nobody involved is under the impression DCSO can take on dispatch for Greenville PD and Greenville City FD without any additional personnel.
What doesn't make sense is having 3-4 dispatchers on duty in the county but in 2 different locations. When one is very busy often the other isn't. But due to the separation the other people sit idle, unable to share the load.
4 dispatchers working together in one location can do more work than 4 dispatchers split between two locations. Anyone who knows anything about business productivity can tell you this.
"So thank you for proving my point as you immediately pointed out all the reasons combining dispatch won't work."
This is simply a fallacy. It certainly could be done wrong, but it's quite possible to do it right. MUCH larger counties have consolidated and implemented central dispatch. There isn't anything special about Darke County that would make it impossible.
The county has some pretty marginal dispatchers, especially during the day.
ReplyDeleteThe city dispatchers are some of the rudest I have ever spoken with in an emergency. Maybe they need to go to the county to learn some manners.
ReplyDeleteOct 14 12:29 pm
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying that there would always be 3 or 4 dispatchers working at the county if this does happen? Do you have minimum manpower? If someone calls in sick or takes a day off will you call for overtime if there are only 2 people working?
"But due to the separation the other people sit idle."
Do the county dispatchers do anything besides dispatch? I know the city dispatchers do a lot of other things. They help anyone who comes into the PD. They make copies of reports for anyone who needs them. They enter all the paperwork for the police department and alarm reports for the fire department. They monitor the City Building, Police Department and numerous other alarms. They run reports for the Police Administration (which can take several months). One of the dispatchers is the CPR/First Aid instructor for the entire department. This is just a brief glimpse of what the City dispatchers do. Belive me, they don't just "sit idle".
Oct 14 2:01 pm
City dispatchers are rude? Cite an example if you will. Are they being rude or just trying to get as much info from you as possible as quickly as possible so you get the help you need and they keep their officers/fire/ems personnel safe? Are they any more rude than County dispatchers? Have you had contact with both departments in an emergency in order to compare the two?
If you listen to the scanner you hear a lot of the county dispatchers being rude with the fire and rescue crews, mostly the women for some reason.
ReplyDeleteAnd they can be pretty unprofessional.
I don't recall hearing a city dispatcher being rude or unprofessional on the scanner however.
If anyone has a question on this subject please contact me. If iI don't have the answers you want I can get them for you. Some of this info on here is bogus. Please any comments feel free to call me 937-459-8020.
ReplyDelete