JEFFERSON — The safety of residents in the four Ashtabula County villages that are now using Middlefield for police dispatching services was on the mind of county 911 Advisory Board members Thursday morning.
Jefferson, Orwell, Andover and Roaming Shores police departments switched to Middlefield for dispatching services effective midnight Thursday after Ashtabula County Sheriff William Johnson terminated their contracts.
Board Chairman Vince Gildone asked whether “our citizens are as safe today?”
“Every time we add a transfer, there is a factor of human error added,” observed Geneva Police Chief Dan Dudik.
Nevertheless, Janet Boland, the county’s 911 coordinator, said the 911 system remains fundamentally intact even if the police call is transferred to Middlefield for dispatching. In her opinion, the system is “just as safe.”
Ashtabula County Commissioner Daniel Claypool questioned the limitations imposed by the fact the county and Middlefield use different networks, which prevents transferring the information generated by the 911 system. When a dispatcher receives a 911 call, an E-911 screen appears on the computer monitor, giving the dispatcher basic information about the call’s origin if it originates on a land line or Phase 2 wireless service. The Middlefield dispatcher won’t see that information, however.
Kirk Hutchens, a Sheriff’s Department dispatcher for the past five years, said there are ways of relaying it, however. The dispatcher in Jefferson doesn’t drop the call as soon as the connection is made; he or she will stay on the line to make sure the caller is transferred successfully; if the department needs location or other information from the E-911 screen, it can be communicated verbally. Further, the dispatcher can fax the information directly from the screen to Middlefield, and in the event of a land line being down, he or she can use a radio to relay it verbally.
The Sheriff’s Department dispatcher also will continue to monitor the situation in the event the village department is operating with just one officer, who may need backup from the department. The dispatcher can advise the shift supervisor of the situation, who then can dispatch help.
“It’s important for the dispatcher to stay on the phone and listen to Middlefield,” Hutchens said. “That all comes back to officer safety.”
Jefferson Village Administrator Terry Finger said Thursday morning that after the village police department’s first night with Middlefield, they were very impressed with the way the Middlefield dispatchers kept track of the officer on duty. He said the officer commented that “I never had anybody call me so often on my shift.”
“Middlefield is trained to follow up with them on a call to make sure (the officer) is safe, doesn’t need assistance,” he said. “Our officers weren’t used to that service.”
In the case of fire and emergency medical service (EMS) calls placed through 911 from the affected villages, there will be no change: The Sheriff’s Department dispatcher will continue to alert the proper department. The change affects only police calls.
Why do villages have to pay for police dispatching but not EMS or fire?
Johnson says police calls require much more monitoring, paperwork and data entry than other 911 calls. Hutchens said the dispatcher also has to enter and validate Law Enforcement Automated Data System information pertinent to the calls, warrants and theft reports handled by police departments.
“There is much more to this than people realize,” Hutchens said.
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