EMERSON—Borough officials heard presentations Feb. 7 from two regional emergency dispatch centers — and appeals from four local dispatchers — as the mayor and council considered options to reduce increasing costs to operate its municipal police dispatch system.
Officials made no decisions but are likely to decide soon as the 2023-2024 municipal budget comes together and cost-cutting is needed to offset mandated budget increases in contractual wage increases, garbage/recycling collection, and health insurance.
Police Capt. Mark Savino and Police Chief Michael Mazzeo told the council that since an initial discussion of possible outsourcing police dispatch in 2019, they’re hired, trained and lost 15 dispatchers who moved on to other higher-paying careers, including police officers.
Mayor Danielle DiPaola said all totaled, the annual cost for police dispatch services is $325,900, or approximately $27,158 monthly. Savino confirmed that amount.
Savino said many individuals trained as dispatchers use the dispatch position as a “stepping stone” to other positions. Due to dispatchers leaving, Savino said police officers were forced to step in and cover 197 hours of dispatch overtime, costing $17,937.49 in 2022.
Savino said so far in 2023, patrol officers have covered 113 hours of dispatch time at an overtime cost of $9,932.70, about one-third of police overtime to date.
Moreover, dispatchers have worked 100 hours of overtime for a cost of $12,929.66.
Savino said dispatchers’ starting salary was recently raised to $23.00 per hour to attract more applicants, and while 11 individuals applied, only four were qualified, and only two showed up for interviews. He said police academy training for dispatchers takes six to eight weeks to get fully trained to handle emergency calls.
He said the 2023 budget for dispatch includes $209,845 (salaries and wages); health benefits ($73,555); FICA, $16,000; and police overtime, $25.000. He said already in 2023, police overtime for dispatch has cost $13,000.
Mazzeo said, “The only way we can move forward with this is if there is significant savings” from outsourcing, noting the goal of dispatch is “to provide the best service” to residents and first responders.
Officials said the police department is on pace to use $60,000 for overtime to cover dispatch shifts.
Representatives from Northwest Bergen Central Regional Dispatch, Ridgewood, which handles fire department and 911 calls for Emerson, said they could provide an “all-inclusive” price (including police, fire, EMS, DPW and 911) for $280,000 annually, which was negotiable.
Central Dispatch Director Tom Pomroy said the service dispatches for seven police departments, including Montvale, Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, Old Tappan and River Vale. The service lists 17 towns that it serves on its website.
Pomroy said the price is driven by the personnel it takes to serve the town. He noted River Vale and Old Tappan share a police channel and dispatcher. Administrator Rob Hermansen wondered what the savings might be if Emerson was able to share a channel with River Vale and Old Tappan.
Officials estimated the cost could drop to $230,000, or less, and savings would also accrue to the other two towns. Mazzeo said they would still need to hire a full-time police records clerk under the Central Dispatch proposal, which needed to be factored in.
Central Dispatch officials also said they had invested in technology upgrades to NextGen-ready infrastructure. Officials said current dispatchers could apply for jobs there but no employment was assured.
Frank DelVecchio, director, county Public Safety Operations Center (PSOC), which handles countywide emergency dispatch from Mahwah and Paramus facilities, said that total costs for year one are approximately $130,000, although initial costs are higher due to set-ups and recordkeeping required. An exact amount was not disclosed at the session.
He said every town that’s joined PSOC in the last eight years has re-signed with the county dispatch service. He said while jobs are not guaranteed for local dispatchers, all may apply to be hired. He said dispatchers’ starting salary is about $39,500, and including holiday pay and perks adds up to about $46,000.
After moving nine salary steps, dispatchers can make top pay of $65,000, which equals about $76,000 with perks, noting that a dispatcher can be a career position, said DelVecchio.
He said the PSOC dispatchers can monitor police station visitors from remote cameras, as well as hook-up to local schools’ closed circuit camera systems for school security checks and responding to incidents.
He said there was a one-time cost of $7,500 to hook to the town’s radio system, and noted all dispatchers know how to work for all towns being dispatched.
He said the county dispatchers were constantly monitoring police and emergency responses in covered towns and could easily communicate calls for assistance to nearby police or emergency services. He said it takes about 90 days for a town to join the system due to technological upgrades needed between PSOC and local police.
Lastly, local police dispatchers told council members that they know the community well, its streets, residents, and best routes to expedite police responses. One dispatcher said they know the community and also provide emotional support to callers during high-stress emergencies.
Another dispatcher said that delays were common after a nearby local dispatch service was changed, noting that the delays could make a difference in response time and emergency outcomes.