The cost to jurisdictions that use Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center 911 services could go down with the county’s expected purchase of the Miamisburg property from a New York investment firm.
County commissioners are expected to enter into an agreement Tuesday to pay Jenn Skyline Inc. $5.9 million for the 49,000-square-foot building and about 4.5 acres that sit atop the former Mound Laboratories site.
Payroll for the Albemarle County Police Department increased by almost $800,000 over the last 10 months.
The Emergency Communication Center’s overall salaries saw the largest percent increase, at 15.6%, from $2,050,197.51 to $2,428,441.90. The department, which also has been struggling with staffing, added seven employees over that time.
In what I hope will be a move that inspires 911 centers across the country, the City of Minneapolis has decided it’s better for call takers and dispatchers to rely on their brains to help the public instead of reading verbatim from scripts. After many complaints, Minneapolis 911 officials have decided to end its two-year use of ProQA. Critics, including union officials and a former veteran 911 employee, have called the use of the software “dangerous” and “detrimental”. They claim it’s slowing responses and failing to get key and timely information into the hands of those responding. The people publicly lobbying against the software also say its use is responsible for many vacancies in the city’s 911 center.
Five new Luzerne County 911 telecommunicators were hired in July, but the county still had 14 openings as of last week, said the agency’s Executive Director Fred Rosencrans.
The department has stepped up public advertising for the position through social media and in newspaper advertisements, he said.
Telecommunicators must process incoming emergency calls and dispatch police and other emergency personnel, he said.
“It’s a fast-paced job that’s also very rewarding,” Rosencrans said.
The new telecommunicators, all hired at $15.38 per hour: Ariel Branigan, Brittany Colson, Jessica Crawford, Ryan Hughes and Breanna Walker.
Logansport’s emergency dispatchers have a tough job helping unseen people in sometimes extreme circumstances. These stressful situations, coupled with being some of the lowest paid dispatchers in the surrounding area, have led to a high turnover rate.
In June, a move was discussed that would have reduced the number of active dispatching positions from 16 to 14 in order to raise the salaries of the current dispatchers. The move would not cost any current employee a position and is considered part of a realignment that would increase the starting salaries to $30,000 for local dispatchers.
SALEM — Dispatcher Travis Carr of the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office recently completed coursework through the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
Carr was among the Aug. 16 graduates of Basic Telecommunications #BT115. A ceremony and reception was held at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem.
The three-week class covered such topics as emergency call handling techniques, stress management, criminal law and an overview of fire-rescue and law enforcement operations. Carr will continue his training with a field training officer at the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office.
The Oregon Public Safety Academy is nationally recognized for its innovative training techniques. Eriks Gabliks is the director and Patricia Patrick-Joling serves as the board chair. For more information, visit www.oregon.gov/dpsst.
