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A red emergency phone has been installed inside the entryway allowing visitors to immediately reach county dispatch after Dublin switched its dispatch services to Erath County Sheriff’s Office. The change will not affect any of the staff of Dublin Police Department, Dublin EMS and Dublin Volunteer Fire Department. The PD can still be reached at 445-3455, and an answering machine will allow callers to select whether they are trying to reach the department of dispatch. Paul Gaudette | Citizen staff photo
The Dublin dispatch has officially been relocated to the Erath County Sheriff’s Office but Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray assures that this change won’t mean that much to the Dublin population.
The biggest change is that there will not be a dispatch worker at the department front desk if someone goes to the department in person. During regular office hours, Dublin PD employee Kayla Splawn will be at the front desk. After hours, people can pick up the red emergency phone in the front entryway and be immediately connected to ECSO dispatch.
“Dublin [residents] will still have the same Police Department, fire department and EMS,” Chief Ray said. “Basically the only thing that’s changed is who picks up the phone.”
“It allows us to save money and provide better service to citizens,” he added.
Ray reported that ‘nine out of 10’ 9-1-1 calls have always gone to ECSO anyways, but since Dublin’s first responders weren’t integrated into dispatch, it meant that Dublin first responders and dispatch would have to call ECSO often.
Ray traces part of the decision to pursue moving their dispatch to ECSO to a pursuit on the Dublin Loop where officers needed updated information on the road.
“We called the sheriff seven times,” Chief Ray reported of the pursuit.
Ray also said that moving dispatch to the county will mean less costs for the Dublin PD and expects that the department will save a minimum of $300,000 over the course of the five-year contract.
ECSO also benefits as Ray reported that the extra funds made it possible to give the county dispatch workers a raise.
Ray reported that moving dispatch services to ECSO has been discussed in the past, but that it was made possible by the good working relationship between the two law enforcement agencies. Even with all of the positives, Ray said the decision wasn’t made lightly with a lot of discussion and training taking place before services were switched over.
Once it was decided it was in everybody’s best interests, The Erath County Commissioners and Dublin City Council approved the contract during September meetings.
Ray reported that there were some initial antenna issues when services were switched over, but that they had been fixed by Monday morning.
“The county’s been great to work with,” Ray said.
Ray wished to thank City Manager Bobby Mendez, Erath County Sheriff Matt Coates, the Dublin City Council, the Erath County Commissioners’ Court, DPD officers, DVFD, Dublin EMS and thelecommunications offercers at Dublin and ECSO for their assistance.