Chesterton and Porter are going to disband the joint dispatch operation for their police departments and will consolidate with the Porter County E-911 system by Oct. 1.
Chesterton Town Council President Erin Collins, D-2nd, announced during Monday’s Town Council meeting. She noted the towns tried to work toward a solution with Porter County that would have retained the local dispatch, which has been in operation since 2014, but there was no alternative.
“Tonight, we are acknowledging that reality. The county’s actions have effectively forced this outcome. And because of that, we will begin the process of consolidating dispatch services with Porter County, but we will do so on terms that prioritize our officers, our residents and our standards,” Collins said.
The decision was dictated by the Porter County Commissioners, who recently voted to change the Standard Operating Procedure for how Porter County Central Communications handled 911 calls. The county said that it was doing so because state law required the change. Porter County E-911 already does the dispatching for the Chesterton and Porter Fire departments.
Starting April 1, the Porter County E-911 no longer transfers 911 calls for the Chesterton and Porter Police departments to the local dispatchers. The county retains control of the 911 calls and remains on the line to dispatch officers.
During a joint meeting between the towns and Porter County Commissioners on March 27, Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson predicted the new policy would “hamstring” the Chesterton/Porter police dispatch operation, pushing the two towns toward consolidation.
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Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, had called for Chesterton and Porter officials to consider joining the Porter County E-911 system within hours on June 18 after a Chesterton Police officer was shot and a man killed himself during a confrontation outside the Hilton Garden Inn. In the days afterward, county and town officials had a dispute over how the dispatch of the ambulance to the officer-involved shooting was handled that day.
Biggs, who lives in Chesterton, denied at the March 27 meeting that he was trying to push the two towns toward a consolidation decision, but noted that the county invested millions in the E-911 system. He has stated several times that the county dispatch is a superior operation.
But Collins noted that while county officials presented the change as a “streamlined process,” it has currently created a “fragmented system” that disrupts established communications practices.
“Within just days of this SOP going into effect, we are already seeing real-world examples that validate our concerns,” Collins said.
There have been occasions with calls handled outside the Standard Operating Procedure where information was broadcast directly to officers without coordination with the local dispatch. And, there were situations with delays in obtaining critical information and confusion in radio communication, Collins said.
“These are not hypothetical concerns,” Collins said. “These are real situations, occurring in real time, affecting real people. Let me be very clear: This council will not wait for more failures in the system to prove what we already know — the breakdowns in emergency communications put lives at risk.”
Collins concedes that with the present system, it is already “halfway to consolidation,” but without the structure, agreements or safeguards that a “responsible transition” requires.
“To provide clarity and accountability moving forward, we are establishing a clear timeline: The consolidation will be completed no later than October 1st,” Collins said.
Collins said the Oct. 1 date will provide the time to allow for a transition in a “controlled, deliberate manner.”
Council unanimously voted to authorize Town Attorney Connor Nolan, Police Chief Tim Richardson and Assistant Police Chief Cisco Rodriguez to negotiate with the county on the consolidation of the local operations with Porter County E-911.
Porter Town Council President William Lopez, who was in attendance at Monday’s council meeting, said the Porter Town Council at its Tuesday meeting would vote on a similar resolution for the consolidation.
Porter County Central Communications employs 32 dispatchers and its executive director, Debra Gunn, stated on March 27 that the county would be able to handle all of the Chesterton and Porter Police calls.
The joint police dispatch operation employs four full-time and six part-time dispatchers.
Collins thanked the dispatchers — some of whom were in attendance — for their professionalism and dedication to public safety. She promised that they would be supported through the transition process.
“This is not the outcome we wanted. It is the outcome we were left with,” Collins said.
Councilman James Ton, R-1st, said the word “compelling” comes to mind for this situation because it means “to cause to yield.”
“I am feeling very much like we have been caused to yield this point,” Ton said.
Councilwoman Jennifer Fisher, R-5th, picking up on Ton’s observation, sighed and stated: “I think a lot of us really do not like this.”
At the meeting’s close, the dispatchers in attendance quickly left the council chambers.
Outside the Town Hall, a woman dispatcher, who declined to give her name, would only say: “It’s not for the greater good.”
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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