Sheriff's Plan Offers Cost Advantages for Dispatching Gulfport Police

The whole question of who will dispatch the Gulfport Police gets people talking – as well it should. Both the Sheriff and the City of St. Petersburg were asked to submit information about operations and costs. 

As Manager of the St. Pete Computer Division, I worked on the St. Pete proposal and reviewed the one from the Pinellas County Sheriff. The St. Petersburg Police Department 911 center, second busiest in the County, has a talented and well-trained 911 Center staff, as does the Sheriff. 

The cost advantage falls to the Sheriff's call center simply because as a percentage of total call volume, the Gulfport call volume has less effect on the Sheriff's call center than it does in St. Pete. In St. Pete it looked like the 911 center would need to add staff, and that simply raised the cost beyond what Gulfport needed to achieve with budget goals. 

A lot is being said about the Sheriff's call center and its ability to adequately dispatch the calls, and I am sure the same arguments would be applied to St. Pete. 

The fact is both 911 centers used highly sophisticated Computer Aided Dispatch systems to locate and dispatch all calls for service. These systems dispatch not only by addresses but also by specific locations. 

All the Gulfport PD has to do is identify those spots most likely to be defined by specifics rather than address, and the information can be quickly added to the dispatch system for all future calls for service. 

For example, if someone calls the 911 Center and is at the Bridge in Clymer Park, and needs assistance, Clymer Park and the Bridge, can be added as specific locations for exact dispatch. 

Think about this, the County 911 call center dispatches all fire and EMS calls for all jurisdictions in Pinellas County. When was the last time you called for an emergency, and the fire rescue or an ambulance did not show up? All 911 centers take their work very seriously. 

The citizens of Gulfport are in good reliable hands with the Sheriff's call center. Officers will be safer, working with one of the most advanced and reliable dispatch systems in this part of Florida.  

e-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net