WHAT'S HAPPENING...
- Ron and Tabby represent SJPD at New World Systems Executive Conference
- National Telecommunications Week was observed April 13-19. The department took this opportunity to recognize our communications operators in a number of ways. Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to all operators, and various other events were scheduled throughout the week. The Communication Center staff donated snacks and other items to make up gift baskets that were delivered to other dispatch centers in the area. Invitations were sent out to agencies in the region for an open house at our center and the response was very good. Those that visited our facility commented how impressed they were not only with our operation and equipment, but our personnel as well.
The St. Joseph Communications Center is a combined dispatch center for the Police Department, Fire Department the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department and 7 Buchanan County Fire Depts. The Police Department employs the 20 civilian communications operators who, in 2006, answered over 230,200 administrative line telephone calls and more than 49,500 calls to 911. A number of administrative line calls are directed to us from cell phone providers and are actually wireless 911 calls. As we do not presently have the equipment to recognize these as 911 calls, we are working on finding a funding source to purchase the equipment. This would allow us to know before answering that they are 911 calls and to more properly handle them. The Communications Center is also responsible for monitoring other agencies' activities in our area.
Our communication operators use up-to-date computer software and equipment to aid them in their tasks. In late 2006, all police and fire agencies and the paramedics at Heartland began using a new, state of the art 800MHz trunking radio system that provides communications to all of Buchanan County. Public Safety Systems Administrator Tabby McClanahan maintains these systems. She was also the project manager for obtaining the Mobile Data System that aids in communications, dispatch and reporting. Captain Richard Wolfe of the Police Department has served full-time as the Communications Center Manager since June 2004 and was the local project manager for the new radio system project.
All dispatchers in the Communications Center are required to complete an in-house Certified Dispatch Officer (CTO) Training program. The seventeen-week program teaches new members department policies and procedures, radio operations, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), use of the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System (MULES), Nation Crime Information Center (NCIC), and National Warning Point for Emergency preparedness (NAWAS).
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