Research continues on joint dispatch

Talk about it

SLAYTON — Five of the six counties taking part in a study to examine the feasibility of joint dispatch gathered in Slayton Friday morning for an update from Paul Linee, lead consultant for GeoComm.

Linee is in the midst of conducting a study involving Rock, Nobles, Pipestone, Murray, Lyon and Redwood counties to evaluate the type of dispatch system in place in those law enforcement agencies.

On Friday, Linee recapped the data he has collected so far, including the costs to each county to provide their own dispatch services, the number of people employed to do the work, call volume — everything from non-emergencies to 911 calls, and the number of two-way radio communications, whether it’s a deputy calling in a license plate or a dispatcher responding with the information.

Once all of the information is collected, Linee will move forward with a report outlining the potential for the counties to collaborate and form one dispatching center to serve all six of the counties.

“We need a clear understanding of the costs,” Linee told the group.

Pipestone County Sheriff Dan Delaney questioned the need to study the costs, when the reason for looking at joint dispatch was improved service.

“Services are more important than costs,” Delaney said. “That was what we agreed upon in this consolidation study.”

In the initial meeting with sheriffs and county representatives last May, Minnesota’s statewide 911 program director Scott Wiggens said a regional dispatch center would utilize new technology, including an IP network, making it possible for Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to accept text messages from the public.

Additional benefits could include accepting photos and videos from the public for such events as fires and natural disasters. Being able to access those features could aid the dispatcher in determining the agencies needed for response.

A disadvantage to a regional center would be losing staff people who do more than just handle calls.

“What would you do if you didn’t have a dispatcher in your county — who would handle that stuff?” Linee asked on Friday.

In most of the six counties, the dispatchers are the ones who work between the public and the law enforcement officers. They do everything from taking information to delivering cash to an inmate in jail in some counties, he said.

Following his presentation, Linee sent the sheriffs and county representatives home on a mission to collect more data from their departments.

“I cannot stress how important the collection of this data is for the viability of this study going forward,” Linee said. “I want everyone to walk away saying the study was a fair assessment and was objective.”

In his visits to the departments so far, Linee said there is a mixed reaction about conversion to a joint dispatch system. Some have said their county will probably not be interested, while others have said it probably should happen, or it will happen and they don’t want it to.

Tags: state and region, law enforcement, nobles county, murray county, rock county, pipestone county, news, slayton, dispatch