Letter to City Leaders: Outsourcing Police Dispatch

On behalf of the Zone 1 Crime Watch Group, Steven Karbowski sent a letter to Mayor Mike Yakes, City Council members and City Manager Jim O'Reilly, today, asking them to consider a few reasons to keep the current dispatch. Karbowski writes, "This decision may go beyond saving us several hundred thousand dollars; it may affect the quality of life in our city." Karbowski also asks the leaders to do their "homework" and gather more information before making their decision.

You may view the entire letter which is attached to this story.

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The first discussion of outsourcing the Gulfport Police Department's dispatch/communications center came up at the April 28, 2011, City Council Workshop. The possibility of outsourcing the dispatch came up again at the City Council Workshop on Thursday, July 28th when Vice Mayor David Hastings proposed outsourcing the dispatch to help balance the budget. After the workshop, the City Manager said he would crunch the numbers with the possibility of outsourcing the dispatch. 

City Council members will discuss the new information at a workshop on Thursday, August 25, 2011, at 3:30 p.m. Public budget hearings are set for Thursday, September 8 and Wednesday September 21, 2011 at 7 p.m. at Gulfport City Hall.

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In our June 13th article on Gulfport Patch, Reporter Bob Deakin interviews Gulfport Police Chief Robert Vincent, Gulfport Police Services Supervisor James Beane, Gulfport Crime Awareness & Prevention member Ernie Stone and the Commission for Florida Law Encorcement Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies about outsourcing the dispatch to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

"Transitioning dispatch operations to PCSO would mean the elimination of Gulfport's four full-time dispatchers ($264,000), annual maintenance to the equipment and some of the costs associated with record keeping and computer technology done by City of Gulfport staff. Gulfport Police Chief Robert Vincent previously contacted PCSO and estimated that making the change would result in a savings of approximately $201,000 for the first year and an annual savings of approximately $271,000 thereafter, once the infrastructure was in place."

For more information check out the Chief's blog entry posted on May 19, 2011, about this issue.