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oeeeaT or� <br /> �° z, �= 6.1.A. - Page 10 <br /> a <br /> e '�:.�..�� � <br /> c �,�,- .:.:'� 0 <br /> 0�'�+'eFSaM�'�" <br /> Does San Mateo County Need 13 Separate Police <br /> Dispatch Centers? <br /> Issue � Background � Findings � Conclusions � Recommendations � Responses � Attachments <br /> Issue <br /> Are multiple independent police dispatch centers in San Mateo County necessary or cost <br /> effective? <br /> Summary <br /> The population of the cities of San Mateo County is 720,000. This population is served by 15 <br /> fire departments and/or districts, including the County's, and 16 police departments including the <br /> Sheriff.l There is one dispatch center that deploys emergency information for fire and medical <br /> emergencies. Thirteen separate dispatch centers deploy emergency information for police. <br /> Dispatch centers are those that respond to 9-1-1 calls for fire, medical and police. This Grand <br /> Jury report focuses on the redundancy of police dispatch centers in our County. <br /> The Grand Jury advocates for continued consolidation of police dispatch services. Consolidation <br /> is good fiscal policy. All the cities that have consolidated—and the taxpayers in those cities— <br /> have benefitted fiscally from consolidation. Cities that have consolidated with other cities spend <br /> on average $11.59 less per 9-1-1 call. Furthermore, dispatch consolidation enhances safety <br /> because it provides dispatch depth for handling large emergencies,justifies having a dedicated <br /> dispatch team not distracted by tangential responsibilities, and provides better training programs <br /> for the intense dispatcher job. Cities that have consolidated this service with other cities report no <br /> drop-off in the quality of service. <br /> During the last 12 years, efforts to consolidate dispatch have been successful. The number of <br /> police dispatch centers has been reduced from 22 to 13. To continue and to accelerate the <br /> process, the elected leaders of the cities of San Mateo County should drive the effort to <br /> consolidate dispatch services and should not be distracted by perceived problems and pressures <br /> to resist change. Also smaller cities should contract with larger cities or the County Public <br /> Safety Communications Center to manage police dispatch during off-peak hours such that no <br /> city has less than two dispatchers on duty at any one time. <br /> Background <br /> Public safety dispatchers work in dispatch centers and are responsible for dispatching fire and <br /> medical crews and/or law enforcement officers to emergencies that occur within their <br /> 1 Excludes the police district of Broadmoor. <br /> 1 <br />