Final department OKs police dispatch center

[trauma74 111]

Final department OKs police dispatch center

By Meghan E. Murphy

Times Herald-Record

November 26, 2007

Maybrook — Arnold "Butch" Amthor doesn't take the reins as Town of Montgomery police chief until Jan. 1, but he's already achieved consensus among four disparate police departments.

Last week, the Montgomery Village Board gave Amthor the last nod he needed to start organizing a joint police dispatching center among the villages of Maybrook, Walden and Montgomery and the Town of Montgomery.

In order to create a dispatch communications center, Amthor is applying for a State Assistance for Shared Municipal Services grant, which offers up to $200,000 for each municipality. Police departments would retain current daytime dispatchers, and after-hours calls would be answered by an expanded 24-hour Walden-based center, rather than the current service in Chester. The new center would dispatch only police officers, not other emergency responders.

Amthor, who was hired as chief on Nov. 1., previously worked as liaison for the town, helping local police departments take inventory and look for consolidation potential. He currently is a deputy chief with the City of Newburgh Police Department.

Village of Montgomery Mayor Steve Brescia expressed concern about maintaining a rapport between dispatchers and residents under the new system. But Amthor said that any staff would be local, assuring that residents could talk around the clock with someone familiar. The center also could improve police communications, he said, as municipalities would purchase compatible radios, enabling officers to talk during mutual aid incidents.

The center also could improve police safety, data collection on calls and prepare the towns for growth, Amthor said.

Walden police Chief Jeffry Holmes said a local center was somewhat of a luxury, but taxpayers would be getting a much-improved service.

Village of Montgomery Trustee Robert Kiernan questioned whether a shared dispatch was the first step toward police department consolidation.

While Holmes said consolidation is something that will be discussed in the long term, Amthor made a firm statement about his current position: "I'm not here telling you I want to take over," he said.

[trauma74 111]

I hope that they will stay away from the NYCOMCO 800MHZ EDACS System for their communications. They would be better off using smoke signals, morse code or 2 cans together with a string instead of the faulty EDACS system that has very poor coverage!

[EJS1810 7]

Police departments would retain current daytime dispatchers, and after-hours calls would be answered by an expanded 24-hour Walden-based center, rather than the current service in Chester. The new center would dispatch only police officers, not other emergency responders.

This sound like they do not want or need interopability. I thought the idea these days was for joint dispatch center. dosen't Orange county have a 911 Center for centralized dispatch?

[NYCOP 0]

This sound like they do not want or need interopability. I thought the idea these days was for joint dispatch center. dosen't Orange county have a 911 Center for centralized dispatch?

Yes O.C. does it's in Chester, and the 911 center is the dispatch for these agencies currently.

I also would like the 911 center to continue dispatching. I also in one way hope this is not all for purpose of consolidation.

Edited November 29, 2007 by NYCOP