AgdaPkt 2012-09-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.1.A. - Page 19 3. The number of police dispatch centers in the County has been reduced from 22 to 13 over the last 12 years. 4. For those cities operating their own dispatch centers the average cost per call is $30.04. For those cities contracting out dispatch the average cost per call is $18.45. Some of the cost difference is due to the fact that dispatchers in many cities perform additional duties while cities that contract out are just paying for dispatch services. 5. Pacifica and San Carlos each realized large cost savings when they contracted with other cities for police dispatch. These savings, taken together with the low cost per call noted above for cities contracting out dispatch, demonstrate that consolidation of police dispatch represents a significant cost reduction opportunity for cities with a standalone police dispatch function. 6. Some municipal police dispatch centers have only one dispatcher on duty at certain times. Some have a minimum of two. 7. Larger police dispatch centers have dedicated dispatch teams, not distracted by tangential responsibilities, and tend to provide better training programs for the intense dispatch job. 8. The PSC has a minimum of nine dispatchers on duty at all times. 9. There is no back-up for the law enforcement dispatch portion of the PSC, even though the PSC itself is a back-up center for other police dispatch centers in the County. 10. No single dispatch site is currently available that can handle all police dispatch. Several dispatch centers, including South San Francisco, the City of San Mateo, Redwood City, Menlo Park and the PSC, have facilities with the capacity to expand to provide police dispatch services to additional jurisdictions. 11. The County Sheriff owns, and the PSC operates, the "Green Channel" (a proprietary radio communications channel) which enables interoperability across all law enforcement departments and through which mutual aid from emergency-response agencies is achieved. 12. All those interviewed believe that dispatch consolidation is beneficial, and most of those interviewed believe the County should have more than one dispatch center. 13. Factors that hinder consolidation include the perceived need for local dispatchers, the fact that some dispatchers also have other responsibilities, the incompatibility of equipment, and differences in the levels of service offered by various police departments. Grand Jury interviews revealed that cities that have completed consolidation of police dispatch have found these issues to be manageable. 14. Elected officials in some cities have been reluctant to consolidate police dispatch. 10