Emergency dispatch centers in Lake County are studying ways to consolidate or share the same equipment, personnel and policies to provide better service and increase efficiencies for residents and visitors.
Since 2013, Lake County, through the Lake County Emergency Telephone System Board, has studied whether consolidating more than a dozen independent primary and secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) or dispatch centers in Lake County could enhance 911 service, according to Jim Hawkins, a deputy county administrator who also serves as 911 consolidation planning project manager.
New legislation in 2015 forced consolidation of smaller systems, and at the time, a study by the task force found that there were 19 dispatch centers employing 280 full-time equivalent positions at a cost of $33 million per year.