Emergency Dispatch Services Consolidated In Four North Shore Villages

GLENVIEW, IL — Because of a law passed last year requiring that all 9-1-1 dispatch centers in Cook County serve a minimum of 25,000 people, Northfield, Glencoe, Kenilworth and Winnetka have all consolidated their emergency dispatching services. After the law passed, all four communities hired a consulting group, which conducted a five month study resulting in a recommendation for each of the communities to contract with the Village of Glenview for dispatch services.

The transition to Glenview became official Tuesday, ahead of a July 1 deadline for its completion. The village already runs a second dispatch center in Highland Park and handles dispatching for several other nearby communities, including Grayslake, Highwood, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Niles and Morton Grove.

Each impacted department has released answers to frequently asked questions about the transition. Find each of them below to learn what's changing and what's staying the same for your town.

GLENCOE

Glencoe Public Safety Officers will continue to provide 24/7 police, fire and emergency medical services and will respond to Glencoe residents when called.

For those residents in need of non-emergency Public Safety assistance, please continue to call the Public Safety non-emergency number at (847) 835-4112. Glencoe staff will still answer these calls during regular business hours (8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday). After hours, Glenview dispatchers will answer these calls and assist as they are able, or they will dispatch on-duty Glencoe Public Safety Officers.

Call answering and dispatching services will continue to be provided at the highest standards. Glenview dispatchers have participated in a rigorous training program to become familiar with Glencoe’s Public Safety Department operations. Glenview currently dispatches emergency calls for the Cities of Highland Park and Lake Forest as well as the Village of Lake Bluff, and along with Glencoe, Kenilworth, Northfield and Winnetka will also transition to Glenview for dispatching services on June 6.

There will no longer be a Public Safety presence in the Public Safety/Village Hall lobby 24 hours a day, seven days a week as exists today. Residents requiring walk-in Public Safety services outside regular business hours or on weekends will have access to a video phone system in the south vestibule and a basic phone system in the north vestibule to link directly to dispatchers in Glenview. This will allow a direct connection to Glenview dispatchers, and they will provide immediate assistance. Additionally, the Village has expanded our offering of online payments to accommodate after-hours needs. Learn more through the Payment Center at www.villageofglencoe.org/pay.

The lobby will be open during regular business hours and citizens will continue to be assisted by Public Safety staff members at the lobby desk.

The Village will continue to provide public information as the consolidation goes into effect. Contact Public Safety Director Cary Lewandowski at clewandowski@villageofglencoe.org / (847) 835-4112 for more information.

KENILWORTH

1. Will Kenilworth Police Officers still respond to my home and patrol our streets 24-hours per day after dispatch services are consolidated?

Yes. Nothing will change with regard to police patrol or response. If a citizen requests a police response in the Village of Kenilworth, a Kenilworth Police Officer will respond as they currently do.

2. If I call, will the consolidated dispatching center slow down the response rates for police and fire?

No. Calls will be routed the same way they are today.

3. Who will answer the 24-7 non-emergency phone calls to the existing Kenilworth Dispatch Center (847-251-2141)?

Kenilworth Police Department administrative personnel will answer the administrative phones and be available for walk in guests at the police front desk Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All other hours, the administrative phone calls will automatically forward to the consolidated dispatch center.

4. Who will assist me at the Police front counter outside the business hours of Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.?

After standard hours, a trained dispatcher will have video and audio coverage of our lobby. The dispatcher will have the ability to send a Kenilworth officer to the lobby, or provide other assistance through the service kiosk.

5. Would the front door to the Village Hall be locked when the television monitor service is operating? If so, what if I feel threatened and would like to enter the building?

The Village Hall Lobby will remain un-locked. If the visitor is experiencing an emergency or immediate threat, they will be able to activate a door locking mechanism to provide safety and speak with a dispatcher on the monitor who will dispatch a Kenilworth Police Officer. The dispatcher will be able to observe the lobby via video feed.

6. How will the Fire Department dispatching be affected by consolidation?

No change. Calls will be routed the same way they are today and services will still be provided by the Winnetka/Kenilworth Fire Department.

7. What will happen to the personnel currently employed in our dispatch center?

Staff who have not already found another position are given an opportunity to interview for the newly-created positions at the Consolidated Dispatching facility. Additionally, the Village intends to hire an employee to provide records functions, answer administrative phone calls and handle front counter walk-in business Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

8. How many employees will be hired for Consolidated Dispatching? Who will interview them and make the decision on who will be employed?

A total of 5 or 6 new dispatchers will be hired as Glenview employees by the Village of Glenview. Glenview will be interviewing the dispatchers from our partnering communities first, in order to fill these positions.

9. What are estimated savings for Kenilworth?

Approximately $100,000 in annual operational savings and $120,000 in capital savings expected over the next 2 years.

10. Who will perform the ancillary duties currently handled by dispatching personnel, at what cost and when?

One administrative support position will be created in Kenilworth once dispatch services are transferred to Glenview. These personnel costs have been included in the overall net savings of consolidation noted in Question #9.

11. What will Kenilworth spend on new equipment and annual operating expenses for the consolidated dispatch facility?

Annual operating expenses will be $158,810 plus a one-time capital cost of $167,500.

12. How will the dispatchers know our community if they do not work here?

As in current practice all new hires go through extensive training, which includes a ride-along program so they can learn about the geography and nuances of Kenilworth.

13. Are there advantages to Consolidating Dispatch other than saving money?

Yes. At the Consolidated Dispatch Center there will be a call taker and a dispatcher to help expedite dispatch efforts and more effectively handle emergency situations. Additionally, the Consolidated Dispatch Center includes built-in redundancy in case of a catastrophic event affecting the facility. Currently, if the Village Hall Building were damaged in a natural disaster, the Village could not function fully in dispatch services. Having a fully redundant dispatch center in Highland Park provides an extra level of back-up to keep emergency communications operational should the need arise.

NORTHFIELD

Q: Will Northfield Police Officers still respond to my home and patrol our streets 24-hours per day after dispatch services are consolidated?

A: Yes. Nothing will change with regard to police response. If a citizen requests a police response in the Village of Northfield, a Northfield Police Officer will respond as they currently do.

Q: If I call, will the consolidated dispatching center slow down the response rates for police and fire?

A: No. Calls will be routed the same way they are today.

Q: Who will answer the 24-7 non-emergency phone calls to the existing Northfield Dispatch Center (847-446-2131 and 847-446-2134)?

A: Northfield Police Department administrative personnel will answer the administrative phones and be available for walk in guests at the police front desk Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. An auto-attendant will allow callers to be directed to Glenview dispatch by pressing “1”. A new ten-digit emergency number for Northfield has been assigned. That number is 847-724-4010.

Q: Who will assist me at the Police front counter outside the business hours of Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.?

A: All other hours will be handled by consolidated dispatch. Beginning this fall, a kiosk with a television monitor will connect any party in the Police lobby with a live dispatcher. The dispatcher on the monitor will have the ability to provide assistance or be able to dispatch a Northfield Police Officer to provide assistance.

Q: Would the front door to the Police Department be locked when the television monitor service is operating? If so, what if I feel threatened and would like to enter the building?

A: The Police Department Lobby will remain unlocked. If the visitor is experiencing an emergency or immediate threat, Glenview dispatchers will be able to activate the police doors to provide safety while dispatch sends a Northfield Police Officer. The dispatcher will be able to observe the lobby via video feed.

Q: How will the Fire Department dispatching be affected by consolidation?

A: No change. Calls will be routed the same way they are today and services will still be provided by the Northfield Fire Department.

Q: Are there advantages to Consolidating Dispatch other than saving money?

A: Yes. At the Consolidated Dispatch Center there will be a call taker and a dispatcher to help expedite dispatch efforts and more effectively handle emergency situations. Additionally, the Consolidated Dispatch Center includes built-in redundancy in case of a catastrophic event affecting the facility. Currently, if the Village Hall Building were damaged in a natural disaster, the Village could not function fully in dispatch services. Having a fully redundant dispatch center in Highland Park provides an extra level of back-up to keep emergency communications operational should the need arise.

Q: Have other communities been successful with consolidated services?

A: Yes. In addition to their own residents, the Village of Glenview currently dispatches police services for Grayslake, Hainesville, Niles, Morton Grove, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Highwood.

WINNETKA

1. Will Winnetka police officers still respond to my home and patrol our streets 24-hours per day after dispatch services are consolidated?

Yes. Nothing will change with regard to police response. If a citizen requests a police response in the Village of Winnetka, a Winnetka police officer will respond as they currently do.

2. If I call the police, will the consolidated dispatch center slow down the response rates for police and fire?

No. Response time will remain the same as it is today.

3. Who will answer the 24-7 non-emergency phone calls to the Winnetka Police Department?

Winnetka Police Department administrative personnel will answer administrative phones and assist walk-in visitors Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 6:00pm. After the close of business, the administrative phone calls will automatically be forwarded to the Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center.

4. Who will assist me at the police department outside the business hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm?

After the close of regular business, walk-in visitors will be assisted by Glenview Public Safety Dispatch through the use of a video kiosk. Visitors can pick up the kiosk phone and will see the dispatcher on the video screen. The dispatcher on the monitor will have the ability to provide assistance or will dispatch a Winnetka Police Officer to provide assistance.

5. Will the front door to the Police Department be locked when the video kiosk is operating? If so, what if I feel threatened and would like to enter the building?

The Police Department has an exterior lobby door and an interior lobby door. The exterior lobby door will always be unlocked so visitors can access the video kiosk to connect with a dispatcher. If the visitor is experiencing an emergency or immediate threat, the dispatcher can unlock the interior lobby door so the visitor can enter. The dispatcher can relock the door after entry. Glenview dispatchers will be able to observe the lobby via security cameras.

6. Will Fire Department dispatching be affected by the consolidation?

No. Calls will be routed the same way they are today and services will continue to be provided by the Winnetka Fire Department.

7. What will happen to the personnel currently employed in our dispatch center?

All dispatch personnel will be provided an opportunity to apply and interview for the newly created positions at the Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center. Additionally, the Village of Winnetka has created one full-time and two part-time Records Specialist positions to handle Records functions, answer administrative telephone calls, and handle walk-in traffic Monday through Friday, 8am – 6pm. All dispatch personnel will be able to apply and interview for these positions as well.

8. How many employees will be hired by the Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center?

A total of five or six new dispatchers will be hired by the Village of Glenview. Glenview will be interviewing the dispatchers from Winnetka and our partner communities first in order to fill these positions.

9. Who will perform the ancillary duties currently handled by dispatch personnel?

The Winnetka Police Department is creating one full-time and two part-time Records Specialist positions. These staff members will perform the ancillary duties currently handled by dispatch personnel.

10. How will the dispatchers know our community if they do not work here?

Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center personnel go through extensive training which includes a ride-along program to learn the geography and nuances of Winnetka.

11. Are there advantages to consolidating dispatch other than saving money?

Yes. More dispatch staff will be dedicated to answering Winnetka calls because the phones will be monitored by a team of dispatchers at all times. This means they can more effectively handle emergency situations. Additionally, Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center has a fully redundant dispatch center in Highland Park which provides an extra level of back-up to keep emergency communications operational should there be a catastrophic event at the Glenview location.

Top photo: Glenview Emergency Dispatch | Courtesy Village of Glenview