911 call centersConnecticut mulls regional 911 authority
Connecticut House Bill 5531, if passed, would authorize the towns of East Lyme, New London, and Waterford to establish a municipal body to operate all 911 call centers in region. Creating a unified authority will allow for more efficient dispatch operations, reduce operating cost among the three towns, and will also equalize the towns’ liability should a lawsuit stem from a 911 call response. Critics disagree.
Connecticut House Bill 5531, if passed, would authorize the towns of East Lyme, New London, and Waterford to establish a municipal body to operate all 911 call centers in region. Creating a unified authority will allow for more efficient dispatch operations, reduce operating cost among the three towns, and will also equalize the towns’ liability should a lawsuit stem from a 911 call response.
In a written testimony presented to Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) and Representative Stephen Dargan (D-West Haven) of Connecticut’s Public Safety and Security Committee, Daniel Steward, first selectman of Waterford, cited other regional authorities servicing the health and energy sectors. The Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) serves as the regional health department for East Lyme, New London, Waterford, Groton, and Ledyard. Steward encouraged state legislators to approve HB 5531 to give the towns flexibility to unify their 911 dispatch operations.
Speaking with Government Technology, Steward noted that he has been working on the dispatch consolidation plan for roughly eight years. Connecticut operates an estimated 110 public service answering points (PSAPs), to which all 911 calls are directed. Steward believes that by consolidating some of the PSAPs, participating towns will reduce operating cost and increase efficiency.
According to Steward, the town of Waterford did a study six years ago showing that under a regional dispatch center, Waterford along with East Lyme and New London could have more efficient and modern communications technology by pooling resources in a regional dispatch center. The plan was not officially proposed six years ago due to weak political support, but today, the legislation is supported by all three towns and by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), which represents 92 percent of Connecticut’s cities and towns. “We think we’re there with this new kind of concept,” Steward said regarding regional 911 dispatch service. “We brought everybody into the room to say, ‘This is what we want to do and how it’s going to work.’”
Like the earlier attempt to regionalize 911 dispatch operations, this new legislation also has its critics. Robert Coppola, president of the Trumbull Police Union filed a statement opposing HB 5531 due to concerns with implementing new dispatch protocols, officer safety, and increased liability. Coppola also suggested that the new legislation may be a move to diminish unionized employees. “Our local union sees that the problems lie with outdated equipment that is costly for the town to replace,” Coppola said in his testimony. “Assisting a municipality with grants or funding to make in-place improvements to their existing dispatch infrastructure would prove more effective than a ruse to consolidate dispatch facilities with mainly civilian and/or private employees…”
Steward acknowledges the need for better technology within the current dispatch centers, but the state is more likely to pay for new equipment if the dispatch centers all operate on identical platforms. “The way the state looks at it, in Connecticut, they don’t want to be paying for all these PSAPs, because they provide large sums of money for the equipment,” Steward said. “So they would like to see us [regionalize] … and it would put many of the communities on the same platform for software.”
The proposed legislation is under evaluation by the Legislative Commissioners’ Office of the Connecticut General Assembly, a nonpartisan review board that reviews bills.
