'No easy answer'

Authorities from across the county met to hear comments and concerns regarding combined dispatch during a public hearing hosted by the Town of Saratoga on June 12.

The Saratoga Town Council was joined by Saratoga Chief of Police Mike Morris, Rawlins Chief of Police Michael Ward, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken, Carbon County Dispatch Supervisor Tracy Newbrough, Saratoga Dispatch Supervisor Alex Munson and Rawlins Dispatch Center Supervisor Valeta Rodabaugh.

The public hearing was held to hear the public’s opinion on potentially combining and consolidating 911 dispatch in Carbon County.

In the current system, landline 911 calls are automatically connected to the correct dispatch. With cell phone calls, which dispatch the call is sent to is dependent on the nearest cell phone tower.

For places in the county, calls are typically routed to the primary public safety answering point (PSAP).

“Your cellphone doesn’t know if you need highway patrol, sheriff’s department, Saratoga police, or Rawlins police, it just knows you are calling 911 and need help. So there has to be one location to receive those calls. The federal government designated Rawlins as the primary PSAP in Carbon County,” Ward said.

This may result in a call intended for the Saratoga Police Department being sent to Rawlins instead. The Rawlins call center would then transfer the call to Saratoga in order to dispatch the correct emergency services.

Calls for the highway patrol are directed to the services in Cheyenne.

According to Ward, over a five year period, the City of Rawlins police received almost 31,000 emergency calls from wireless devices in Carbon County.

“Of those calls, 56% were for the City of Rawlins, 28.5% were transferred to highway patrol, 12% went to the Carbon County Sheriff’s, and 2% went to Saratoga,” Ward said.

With combined dispatch, the calls would not have to be routed, as the Rawlins dispatch would be able to directly speak to the required Saratoga emergency services. Calls for highway patrol would still have to be routed, as those services are not done by Carbon County.

Some of the discussion involved potentially combining every dispatch center into one, so Saratoga, Rawlins and sheriff dispatch would all be in the same building.

Discussion on joint dispatch originated when the Town of Saratoga contacted the sheriff’s office for temporary assistance with dispatch due to staffing issues.

“The idea of combining some factors of dispatch has been going on in Carbon County for a very long time,” Morris said.

Morris emphasized staffing issues as a major issue facing policing, not just in the county but nationwide. Staffing issues would be potentially alleviated by joint dispatch, as the call staff from the different entities would be combined.

Staffing issues were described by Morris as a part of a “trifecta” of problems in the Saratoga Police Department. Morris pointed to funding and equipment management as additional issues.

Due to the age of the equipment, software for things like the recording system are no longer being updated.

“If something goes down, we have no way to repair it, it has to be bought new,” said Morris. “Equipment-wise, Saratoga is kind of in an all-or-nothing phase right now.”

Next, Ward spoke about the difficult job dispatchers have and the complexities involved in the role.

“If there was an easy way to just magically make things better, in terms of call-taking and dispatch in Carbon County Wyoming, it would already be done,” Ward said.

Ward discussed the research process he has engaged in with Morris and Bakken. He said they have looked at other areas to gain ideas for implementation.

“My operating paradigm is pretty simple, as an administrator I look at two things. Number one: what’s best for the people of Carbon County and that includes all the municipalities within. Once we answer that question, how do we make it happen? That’s where the chiefs and I are working together to figure it out,” Bakken said.

Statistics for call volume were discussed. Rodabaugh emphasized the 175 calls with the text to 911 feature, which can be beneficial when someone needs emergency services but is unable to speak. It may also be beneficial in areas with low service such as the mountains, as texts may be able to go through when calls cannot.

The public raised several concerns regarding joint dispatch. Out of the many people attending the meeting, 13 brought comments to the council before the time was up.

Effects on budget was a concern brought up by multiple people. Morris said the costs had not been estimated yet but that it probably would not have a major effect. Bakken said the group was in the initial exploratory phase for combined dispatch.

It was pointed out by a member of the public that when the City of Cheyenne did integrated dispatch, the transition did not result in large cost savings but rather an increase in the productivity and health of the dispatchers.

A member of the public showed strong support for having one call center, as in an emergency situation it is difficult to have to explain the emergency once to one dispatch and then again to another dispatch once the call is transferred.

Mayor of Encampment Shannon Fagan asked the council what would be the potential timeline for the Town of Saratoga to make decisions regarding joint dispatch. She raised concerns as the Town of Encampment is contracted through the Town of Saratoga for dispatch.

Mayor of Saratoga Chuck Davis said the Town of Saratoga would still fulfill the contract.

“As far as the [council’s timeline], no. We just want it done right. That’s why these guys are taking their time trying to get advice,” Davis said. “I hope to get it done by the end of the year, if we can come up with everything. That’s my wish.”

He said the City of Rawlins is also having their own discussions regarding combined dispatch.

Fagan said the Town of Saratoga can still make a decision without knowing what the other entities involved are doing as they can make a contract with the Rawlins dispatch themselves.

“Yes, if the council so chooses, I could sign a contract … we could make that happen tomorrow. Right now we’re holding our own, with our equipment. As a town, we know this cost is coming. It seems we’re putting a bandaid on our equipment every other week,” Davis said.

The next Saratoga Town Council meeting will be on June 18 at 6 p.m. at the Saratoga Town Hall.