Grosse Pointe Shores to Farms Dispatch Consolidation Begins

Emergency calls from residents will now be answered in the  dispatch center. There are still additional transitions to be made but the 911 line has been switched over, Shores City Manager Brian Vick said.

Shores dispatchers are remaining in the Shores center for at least a few days to ensure a smooth transition, he said. As far as emergency calls, Vick is not anticipating any glitches. 

Shores patrol vehicles have also been outfitted with the technology necessary for the officers to operate on the same systems as the other Grosse Pointes, in particular the Farms.

The technology includes computers the officers will be able to use to search databases for criminal history or outstanding warrants. They will also use the computers to enter their portion of a report for any calls to which they respond. Until now, the officers provided the information to the dispatchers, who then typed up the reports.

Anyone arrested by Grosse Pointe Shores public safety officers will continue to be held at the Shores municipal building for now, Vick said. Lockup of prisoners will not transition to the Farms until the Shores dispatchers leave permanently, Vick said. 

The consolidation is the result of .

The committee found that consolidation by all the Pointes wasn't possible now but recommended making smaller consolidations among a few of the Pointes with the ultimate goal of an all-Pointes dispatch consolidation. 

Another . Officials from the City are reviewing offers from , and .

The than officials anticipated due to . Additionally, Vick said it's not something to rush because of its serious nature.

The 911 line was switched over to the Farms at noon Monday. The change will not impact services to residents who call 911 from the Shores, as Shores public safety officers will remain within the city as they do now. 

Officers will have a bit of a learning curve during the transition because they have to learn the software program used for entering reports, but some may be familiar since the other Grosse Pointes use the same system.

The relocation of the dispatch center also means that residents will not be able to walk into the Shores municipal building after normal business hours to receive service. The officers will still operate out of the building but there will not be a constant presence inside as they are often in and out between calls and patrolling the city.

If a resident is coming in after hours to report a crime or other problem to police, a telephone will be available in the lobby to call dispatchers in the Farms, who will then assign a Shores officer to return to the building.  

Callers are likely to hear some of the same voices they've become accustomed to as the Farms has agreed to hire two of the Shores dispatchers in the transition. They replaced one dispatcher who left the Farms already and one who is set to retire soon. 

The and what part of those could possibly be shared among the Pointes to save money. They are not studying a consolidation of fire response but items such as equipment, training or other behind-the-scenes kind of expenses.