Township to Upgrade Equipment for County Dispatch Services

At the last township committee meeting of the year, an ordinance was adopted to create an appropriation of $600,000 for capital improvements and equipment for the migration of emergency dispatch to Somerset County beginning April 1, 2012. 

The decision to switch was a result of a change in the partnering agreement between Bernards Township and Long Hill Township, which split the cost of dispatch services. The total cost, which takes into account communications, people and benefits, ran close to $900,000, and about $450,000 when split.

Long Hill Township announced they were terminating their agreement with Bernards Township and going to Morris County for their dispatch services. CFO/Township Administrator Bruce McArthur said that without a partner, costs were envisioned to go up significantly, to $700,000 or $800,000.

McArthur said the township studied the possibilities, looked for another partner, and approached Bernardsville to offer them a mutual deal. After being turned down in September, the decision was made to go to the county, which does not charge for dispatching.

“It was a business decision,” McArthur said. “The county doesn’t charge any towns. They pay for dispatching out of the county tax base. Bernards Township had been paying for dispatch for other towns. Our share of the county tax base is 14 percent. We make up only about eight percent of the county population.”

McArthur said April 1 is the date our contract with Long Hill ends, and the date the county says they will be ready for us. In order to be assured of this start date, the township made a committment to sign on.

“We decided to act judiciously,” he said. “We knew there would be some capital costs involved to buy new radios."

The new equipment will be purchased from Motorola, and will coordinate with federal and county standards.

“The county operates on a completely different frequency and bandwidth, and new federal standards are a low band, to take up a smaller amount of the airwaves,” said McArthur. “The county is investing in the network in this area to make the communications work better, and building a new radio tower on Miller Lane in Bedminster, which will improve the radio communications capabilities in that section of town.”

9-1-1 calls are already going to Somerset County. The equipment was due to be upgraded, and the township had worked out the details with the County in the summer.

What the change means to the public

When asked what this change means to the police department and the public, McArthur said, “It means that personnel from the county will be answering emergency calls, as opposed to people in our building.”

McArthur said local dispatchers will be gone once the change takes place. Some have already found positions in other towns.

“The township has had discussions that there may be a few civilian staff changes in the police department, fewer full-time employees, and more per diems and overtime as it gets closer to April 1,” said McArthur.

“When we first started the deal with Long Hill, we had 12 dispatchers. As of today we have seven, and the balance of the shifts are being covered by per diems, temporaries, and overtime.”

He said one of the reasons we got the county to handle 9-1-1 was to enable us to reduce staffing at certain times. 9-1-1 requires certain specifications, such as staying on the line with the caller to talk them through an emergency, whereas regular dispatchers manage the desk.

“We have some wonderful people who have worked our dispatch desk and unfortunately, part of the equation is the human side, and nobody is enjoying that part of the prospect,” said McArthur.

McArthur said police will still be on duty even though the building will no longer be manned after hours.

“There won’t be someone there 24 hours like it is now, but that doesn’t change,” he said. “We’re looking at all the other security concerns. We intend to procure what is needed to create as safe a place as needed.”

McArthur said there will be a direct connect by phone in the lobby at police headquarters to the desk in Somerville. The township is also exploring the notion of a video phone to enable the dispatcher to hear and see the caller. McArthur said safety factors will not be compromised by the new arrangement. The police will still be on duty and available at all hours.

“There are police working in Bernards Township 24 hours a day,” he said. “In those overnight hours the police are typically out in the town in their patrol cars. That’s where you want them.

“Essentially the town has quadrants, and the police have a minimum of four patrol cars out at any one time, so their response time is quicker from whatever quadrant you’re needing services.”

McArthur said police consolidation is being studied by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, and several task forces have been set up to look at facilities, contracts, governance and operations. This will help in truly identifying costs and savings going forward, although there are no plans to consolidate at this time.

“Our township committee has not once stated that they intend to consolidate our police force. However, there’s no saying what will happen down the line,” he said.

McArthur said Bernards Township is a low crime area. “With 27,000 people we’re properly sized to offer services in an efficient manner."