July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Suggestion won't work (08/24/06)
Letter to the Editor
To the editor:
As a 911 dispatcher for the Jay County Sheriff's Department and a part-time dispatcher for the Dunkirk Police Department, I read with interest the opinions of Mr. Dan Watson as reported in the Commercial Review on Tuesday August 15.
I believe they are the opinions of someone who is not cognizant of the role that the dispatchers at the Dunkirk Police Department play. Not only will the city of Dunkirk suffer from eliminating the Dunkirk dispatching staff, but also Redkey and inadvertently all citizens of Jay County.
Mr. Watson's comments that were reported in The Commercial Review noted that the county could handle the services provided by Dunkirk Dispatch. That's as unrealistic as saying that the Jay County Highway Department could handle the services provided by the Dunkirk Street Department the next time a foot of snow needs to be removed from the streets.
Are you aware, Mr. Watson, of the work load of the Jay County 911 dispatchers? We average 16 911 calls per day. In addition to the 911 calls and other complaints such as vandalism, theft, juvenile delinquency , noise disturbances, animal problems, domestic disturbances, etc., we also handle all of the administrative calls for the sheriff, chief deputy, investigator, all deputies and the jail. We are responsible for all Jay County fire departments, Jay County EMS, Rescue 19, and Pennville police. We handle all of the Court process including but not limited to warrants, protective and restraining orders, inmate commitments, accidents reports, and monthly records. Do you know what types of calls that Dunkirk dispatchers handle? In addition to the routine types of calls like the Jay County Sheriff's Department receives, Dunkirk dispatchers are also expected to handle more personal and unique scenarios that I have become aware of not only through my own experience but that of my husband who is a full-time dispatcher for the Dunkirk Police Department. A few examples:
1. The woman who requested an officer to remove a garter snake from her driveway.
2. The four separate elderly people who have come into the police department during third shift in the last two years who, after the dispatcher on duty spoke with them, it was discovered that they were disoriented and lost.
3. The truck drivers who stop constantly asking for directions to St. Gobain but they don't always use that name. If you aren't familiar with the other names (Kerr, Ball) then you won't be able to help them.
4. When the old police department building collapsed, the dispatcher on duty personally assessed the situation, knew who to call and how to handle the problem.
5. The resident requesting assistance in starting a lawn mower.
Due to the fact that I work in both facilities, I can tell you from personal experience that the type of service that Dunkirk dispatchers provide is greatly utilized by the citizens of Dunkirk and to a lesser degree Redkey. Those services will not be available to citizens if their calls are routed to the sheriff's department because Jay County 911 dispatchers simply will not have the resources to accomplish those tasks. Once you remove these services that the community has come to depend on, other services deteriorate. Dunkirk cannot afford to deteriorate any further if it hopes to remain a viable community. If you aren't convinced ask the community how much they enjoy the closing of the local BMV branch. Or the closing of Stewart Brothers or Ludwig's.
Another concern is the use of 911. The public has been instructed for years that in the event of an emergency, dial 911. But no one ever instructed the public what qualifies as an emergency.
The community at large is unaware of the misuse of 911 for non-emergency situations. Many times this problem is created because of a lack of phone service, especially long distance phone service. If residents of Dunkirk and Redkey who do not have long distance phone service, do not have a local number to call, or cannot walk or drive to the police department to ask for assistance in non-emergency situations, they will use their only other recourse which is to dial 911. The system will not be able to handle that load. And the dispatchers at Jay County will not be able to handle that load under current staffing. Currently, there is only one 911 dispatcher working on 3rd shift. In order to staff two 911 dispatchers 24 hours a day, two more full-time dispatchers will need to be hired. Does Jay County have the funds to staff two more full-time 911 dispatchers? Or will the work load of the Dunkirk dispatching staff be transferred to the Jay County Sheriff's Department dispatching staff without an increase in manpower thus creating a potentially life threatening situation if there aren't enough dispatchers on duty to handle the volume of calls.
Dunkirk has a unique history and problems. Another department will not be able to handle these situations in the way that the residents of Dunkirk are accustomed.
Sincerely,
Amy Blakely
Redkey[[In-content Ad]]
As a 911 dispatcher for the Jay County Sheriff's Department and a part-time dispatcher for the Dunkirk Police Department, I read with interest the opinions of Mr. Dan Watson as reported in the Commercial Review on Tuesday August 15.
I believe they are the opinions of someone who is not cognizant of the role that the dispatchers at the Dunkirk Police Department play. Not only will the city of Dunkirk suffer from eliminating the Dunkirk dispatching staff, but also Redkey and inadvertently all citizens of Jay County.
Mr. Watson's comments that were reported in The Commercial Review noted that the county could handle the services provided by Dunkirk Dispatch. That's as unrealistic as saying that the Jay County Highway Department could handle the services provided by the Dunkirk Street Department the next time a foot of snow needs to be removed from the streets.
Are you aware, Mr. Watson, of the work load of the Jay County 911 dispatchers? We average 16 911 calls per day. In addition to the 911 calls and other complaints such as vandalism, theft, juvenile delinquency , noise disturbances, animal problems, domestic disturbances, etc., we also handle all of the administrative calls for the sheriff, chief deputy, investigator, all deputies and the jail. We are responsible for all Jay County fire departments, Jay County EMS, Rescue 19, and Pennville police. We handle all of the Court process including but not limited to warrants, protective and restraining orders, inmate commitments, accidents reports, and monthly records. Do you know what types of calls that Dunkirk dispatchers handle? In addition to the routine types of calls like the Jay County Sheriff's Department receives, Dunkirk dispatchers are also expected to handle more personal and unique scenarios that I have become aware of not only through my own experience but that of my husband who is a full-time dispatcher for the Dunkirk Police Department. A few examples:
1. The woman who requested an officer to remove a garter snake from her driveway.
2. The four separate elderly people who have come into the police department during third shift in the last two years who, after the dispatcher on duty spoke with them, it was discovered that they were disoriented and lost.
3. The truck drivers who stop constantly asking for directions to St. Gobain but they don't always use that name. If you aren't familiar with the other names (Kerr, Ball) then you won't be able to help them.
4. When the old police department building collapsed, the dispatcher on duty personally assessed the situation, knew who to call and how to handle the problem.
5. The resident requesting assistance in starting a lawn mower.
Due to the fact that I work in both facilities, I can tell you from personal experience that the type of service that Dunkirk dispatchers provide is greatly utilized by the citizens of Dunkirk and to a lesser degree Redkey. Those services will not be available to citizens if their calls are routed to the sheriff's department because Jay County 911 dispatchers simply will not have the resources to accomplish those tasks. Once you remove these services that the community has come to depend on, other services deteriorate. Dunkirk cannot afford to deteriorate any further if it hopes to remain a viable community. If you aren't convinced ask the community how much they enjoy the closing of the local BMV branch. Or the closing of Stewart Brothers or Ludwig's.
Another concern is the use of 911. The public has been instructed for years that in the event of an emergency, dial 911. But no one ever instructed the public what qualifies as an emergency.
The community at large is unaware of the misuse of 911 for non-emergency situations. Many times this problem is created because of a lack of phone service, especially long distance phone service. If residents of Dunkirk and Redkey who do not have long distance phone service, do not have a local number to call, or cannot walk or drive to the police department to ask for assistance in non-emergency situations, they will use their only other recourse which is to dial 911. The system will not be able to handle that load. And the dispatchers at Jay County will not be able to handle that load under current staffing. Currently, there is only one 911 dispatcher working on 3rd shift. In order to staff two 911 dispatchers 24 hours a day, two more full-time dispatchers will need to be hired. Does Jay County have the funds to staff two more full-time 911 dispatchers? Or will the work load of the Dunkirk dispatching staff be transferred to the Jay County Sheriff's Department dispatching staff without an increase in manpower thus creating a potentially life threatening situation if there aren't enough dispatchers on duty to handle the volume of calls.
Dunkirk has a unique history and problems. Another department will not be able to handle these situations in the way that the residents of Dunkirk are accustomed.
Sincerely,
Amy Blakely
Redkey[[In-content Ad]]
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