City to Take Over Pacifica Police Dispatch

The South San Francisco City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to absorb Pacifica's police dispatch services in an effort to save Pacifica money.

“This path has taken a few different turns, but I’m pleased it has come back to South San Francisco,” said Councilmember Mark Addiego. “It’s an opportunity to begin a beautiful relationship with our coastside neighbors.”

and save Pacifica between $280,000 and $300,000.

Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto said she was concerned about the work standards required of Pacifica dispatchers compared to those serving South San Francisco.

“We have a higher bar, so to speak,” Matsumoto said.

South San Francisco Police Chief Michael Massoni said he will be establishing the standards since Pacifica will be a contractor.

“The level of professionalism will be set by the South San Francisco Police Department,” he said.

Councilmember Richard Garbarino raised concerns that new dispatchers learning a new city could result in delayed response times.

“There will be no change in response time,” Massoni assured the council.

Massoni added he has heard several concerns about response times, but said adjusting to a new environment is not as difficult as it may seem. Dispatchers will be able to determine the distance between an officer and a person in need of help.

“A dispatcher can look on their screen and be able to see they have a car right there,” he said.

While there will be no increase in staff, increasing coordination with Pacifica may improve response times, Massino said.

“A South San Francisco officer could be dispatched into Pacifica if they could get there a lot faster than a Pacifica officer and vice versa,” he said.

Massoni said in terms of creating a countywide dispatch service, “the numbers just didn’t play out.”

However, City Manager Barry Nagel said the idea should not be dismissed.

“A countywide dispatch is still being kicked around, quite frankly,” he said. “We are still exploring the option.”