Taunton will not join regional 911 dispatch center. Here is what we know.
TAUNTON — A decision has been made. The city will not outsource its 911 dispatch to a regional center in Foxboro.
Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, in a press conference last week, said Taunton’s police and fire department’s 911 emergency dispatch system will function in the new public safety complex that is scheduled to begin construction on County Street in March 2024.
“There has been a lot of discussion about our 911 emergency dispatch services,” she said during the city hall press conference. “There has been a lot of thought and effort to serve the needs of our community.”
A review of Taunton's 911 system following failures
O’Connell explored the possibility of relocating Taunton’s 911 emergency dispatch system to the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Communications Center in Foxboro prompted by the recommendations of a report by Ryan Strategies Group in February 2017.
High-profile failures of the city's dispatch system, such as during the 2016 stabbing rampage at the Silver City Galleria and elsewhere, led to changes to the city's dispatch system based on the conclusions of a city-sponsored report by the Ryan Strategies Group.
Ryan Strategies stated that “a systems failure” in the 911 emergency dispatch system caused a delay of more than 20 minutes by emergency responders during the 2016 incident.
The Ryan Strategies Group report states there was “little or no communication” between police and fire department officials during these incidents. The report called for an immediate overhaul of the city’s emergency dispatch system.
Taunton Public Safety Complex to have updated 911 equipment
O’Connell said the upcoming construction of a new public safety complex for the police and fire departments would accommodate an effective 911 emergency dispatch system to meet the needs of residents.
“This new public safety facility will include a beautiful new room for our 911 dispatch service,” she said. “They will have the equipment and technology to do their jobs.”
Taunton voters approved a $67.7 million property tax debt exclusion override ballot question on April 29 to finance the construction of a public safety complex on County Street for the police and fire departments.
City Councilor Phillip Duarte said O’Connell considered all options for an effective 911 emergency dispatch center “and what is best for the city.”
“We are constructing a new public safety facility due to the determination of Mayor O’Connell and her team," he said. “The new public safety facility will allow us to have a first-class emergency 911 center.”
Taunton police, firefighters favor a local 911 dispatch system
O’Connell said her administration decided not to join a regional 911 emergency dispatch system after meeting with Police Chief Edward Walsh, Fire Chief Steven Lavigne, former Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw, Taunton Police Patrolmen’s Association, Taunton Police Supervisory Personnel Association, Taunton Firefighters Local 1391, residents, businesses and various community groups.
“I have to say that listening to all these people and the police and fire departments was an overriding factor in our decision,” she said.
Lavigne said having a new public safety complex would allow police and firefighters to have “a unified police and fire dispatch system.”
“Having that will eliminate a need to transfer calls from one location to another,” he said. “When all agencies are aware of what they are doing, it will increase the chances of positive outcomes in different locations.”
Bradshaw said having a unified police and fire department 911 emergency dispatch system is important because “every time you transfer a call, it increases the chance of human error.”
Police Chief Walsh said Taunton should have its own emergency dispatch system because the city has approximately 56 square miles of land and police must be able to respond to 911 calls promptly.
“In the future, our 911 emergency dispatch center might become a regional center that small communities might be interested in being involved with,” he said after the press conference.
O’Connell’s chief of staff, Ligia Madeira, said the mayor’s discussions included participants from the Downtown Taunton Foundation and Taunton Business Improvement District, Morton Hospital, Taunton Diversity Network, Community Counseling of Bristol County, Taunton Council On Aging, City of Taunton Department of Human Services, T.R.U.E. Diversity, Taunton Housing Authority, and Taunton Public Schools.
Others agree with the decision
Colleen Simmons, Taunton Business Improvement District executive director, said she supports O’Connell’s decision to have a city-administered 911 emergency dispatch center in the upcoming public safety complex.
“Public safety touches us all,” she said. “This is an exciting time for our city. We are moving forward in so many ways.”
T.R.U.E. Diversity founder and spokesperson Tanya Lobo said O’Connell’s decision to have a town-administered 911 emergency dispatch system would serve “the best interests of our residents and empower our city with flexibility.”
Taunton Diversity Network President April Funches agreed, adding that the size of Taunton and the amount of traffic traveling through the city warrants a local dispatch center.
“We are the biggest city in the area," she said. “We have a lot of major highways that people cut through to go to Dighton, Norton, Lakeville, and other small towns."
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton police, fire dispatch to stay in the city; regional plan rejected
