State Police Commander Comments on Dispatcher Consolidation Woes

Responding to criticism about problems with the recent consolidation of state police dispatchers, the commander of the State Police said the plan was intended to get more troopers on the road.

The Litchfield County Times said this week that Col. Danny Stebbins, the commander of the State Police, was responding to an announcement by the State Police union that it would hold a "no confidence" vote on his leadership following an incident on May 13 in which the consolidated dispatcher failed to send backup to a trooper who called for it during an altercation.

Stebbins relocated two dispatchers from Bridgeport to Litchfield following that incident and reports that 911 calls to the Litchfield barracks were being dropped.

The new plan, implemented in early-April, consolidated the dispatchers for Troop A in Southbury and Troop B in North Canaan to Troop L in Litchfield.