The Board of Selectmen September 15 agreed to pursue the possibility of eventually creating a regional emergency dispatch center in Newtown, or possibly consolidating into a regional facility in Danbury. As a result of that consensus, the board has effectively rejected pursuing regional dispatch partnerships with nonprofit, civilian operated centers in Prospect and Torrington.

In related news, selectmen authorized Police Chief Michael Kehoe to move forward closing out the town’s remaining contract with a Minnesota company currently providing emergency dispatch and record-keeping technology. Officials then gave the police chief authorization to begin negotiating with a North Haven company to replace dispatch and recordkeeping hardware and software services.

Discussion on the future of Newtown’s emergency dispatch operations opened with Selectman James Gaston Sr telling his colleagues that he was “struggling” with the concept of implementation after reviewing a report and collateral material provided by a two-person study committee.

Mr Gaston said that he would not be comfortable recommending consolidating Newtown’s dispatching operations into a center, unless that center had “elected official accountability.”

“There’s just not enough information for me to be comfortable with the nonprofit (dispatch centers in Prospect and Torrington),” he said, adding that Newtown should explore regionalizing with a “host municipality” center versus a nonprofit, and that possibly developing such a center in Newtown should remain on the table.

For the past six months, a number of local boards and commissions have been weighing in on the proposal to close the local dispatch center, which is located in Town Hall South along with the Police Department and several other town agencies.

Most of the discussion among local police, fire and ambulance representatives has been against consolidating into a regional center. And for the time being, selectmen have agreed.

Mr Gaston noted that many of the large regional centers operating across the nation are being operated by county governments and handling county police, fire and emergency medical dispatching. Lacking any centralized county services in Connecticut, he suggested contacting state lawmakers to explore creating or giving regional dispatch centers “authority” status, similar to what Newtown currently uses for its water and sewer operations, and for the day-to-day operations at Fairfield Hills.

He pointed out that under an authority, there could still be a degree of oversight from participating municipalities and their elected officials. He also said that Newtown is probably one to two years away from making any real changes to its current emergency dispatch situation.

Selectman Will Rodgers agreed.

“If we go slow, we won’t be sending a message that (regionalizing dispatch) is tabled or put off,” Mr Rodgers said. “But we’re not going to move fast on this, there’s no reason.”

'Rumors Being Spread'

Mr Rodgers expressed some frustrations that “rumors are being spread,” and that “people are staking out positions” on the proposal.

“But there’s no way we could rationally be near a decision. At the same time, we are not yielding to alarmists who are taking a position that (regionalizing dispatch) has got to be bad for Newtown,” Mr Rodgers added. “We just don’t see a substantial need to move forward now.”

At that point, in lieu of a formal motion, First Selectman Pat Llodra suggested the selectmen formally agree to take Prospect and Torrington off the table as possible consolidation sites. She then suggested forming the consensus around the “positive” consideration of keeping both a Newtown and Danbury site on the table for further, future study with the understanding that the town would not pursue regionalizing to Prospect or Torrington.

One of the first items on the agenda September 15, was related discussion and the authorization to move the town from an out-of-state, to an in-state vendor for dispatch and related recordkeeping hardware, software and ongoing maintenance services.

Chief Kehoe, Captain Joe Rios, and Police Commission Vice-Chair Brian Budd were on hand to explain the proposal. The police officials acknowledged that the contract with Newtown’s provider, Minnesota-based New World Systems, is near its end, and that the system is not compatible with growing department needs to seamlessly integrate dispatch and recordkeeping data.

Chief Kehoe told selectmen that the proposed move to Connecticut-based Nexgen would improve functionality; that Nexgen systems are already in use by 35 to 40 Connecticut emergency response agencies, including the Danbury and Connecticut State Police; and that a move to the local company is projected to save taxpayers about $146,000 over the next four years.

Stratford Nexgen Success

Mr Budd, who is a Stratford Police official said his department switched to Nexgen and after some minor issues were addressed, his department is utilizing the system, including new features with great success.

He referenced routine alarm dispatches, saying under the old system, a clerk had to research how many repeated calls were being answered to locations and then levy any fines against chronic violators weeks or months after the fact. But with Nexgen, responding officers know immediately when they are responding to a frequent alarm site, and can issue related infractions on the spot.

Chief Kehoe said that one of the most time consuming issues his administrative staff face is conforming to the state’s new racial profiling law and that the local records department is months behind in filing information on every traffic stop in town.

Mr Budd said since Stratford installed Nexgen systems, officers file the necessary information from their vehicles before ever clearing from the stop. That information is then compiled and reported electronically, freeing up officers and records staff to handle other priority work.

Chief Kehoe told selectmen that there would be a three- to four-month period of intensive work converting file information and training all related personnel on aspects of the new Nexgen system, but that all involved parties are “on board” with the plan.

Finance Director Robert Tait issued a memo detailing the financials related to the proposal. It showed that there is still $96,000 remaining in the police budget, and that the remaining $104,000 needed to initiate the Nexgen switch can come from the capital nonrecurring fund.

“It sounds like a common sense move because we are spending less money,” Chief Kehoe said, “but we’re also looking at better service for the community and our emergency service partners.”