Readers debate the Value of Central Dispatch
This is for all lay people who may not fully understand how the Administration at Central Dispatch really works. There is a Director, yes. There is also a Management Committee which oversees and ultimately makes most of the final decisions pertaining to the center. This committee consists of one representative from the Village of Ridgewood and one representative from the Boro of Glen Rock. There is also a third representative which is one of the CFOs from either of the two towns. I am not sure how you can blame a director who technically DOES NOT have the final say for many items such as the raising of the starting salary, raises, purchasing of new equipment, or even the hiring and/or termination of employees. The Director makes his recommendations to the Management Committee and either they agree or tell him to “Go scratch!” Ultimately, many of these problems fall in the hands of this committee and they should be the ones answering for the issues. There is only so much that a director can do if he does not have the support of his bosses.
As for Bergen County taking over dispatch, ask any other town who has made the switch and see if they are happy. I am sure they will respond with a big NO and that the quality of the service has definitely gone down. If you are a resident of any of the towns that Central Dispatch services and you don’t mind listening to the phone ring 9 or 10 times when you dial 9-1-1 or waiting an extra 10 minutes for a police officer to arrive at your home because of a dispatch delay, then plead your case to your council members and save an extra few dollars in taxes by switching to the County. By the way, once you make the switch, there is no going back!
Right. The management committee is just as guilty for not doing their jobs and stepping in. They have no idea what goes on in there and do whatever the director stays. How can they represent and manage a 911 center when they have no clue what goes on?? Of course they are going to listen to the director no matter how wrong he is. Just my two cents
No municipality that has switched over to the County for 911 call answering and/or radio dispatch has complained publicly.
The “check with those towns who have switched over and I’m sure they’ll tell you how poor the service is” is nothing more than a scare tactic perpetrated by employees of NWBCD.
Dump NWBCD now and begin saving money now.
