Chesterton and Porter want to disband their combined police dispatch center by Sept. 1 because only one employee would be left, but Porter County Commissioners say that the two communities cannot consolidate with the E-911 Center until Oct. 1.
Chesterton Town Council President Erin Collins, D-2nd, revealed at the end of Monday’s council meeting that the Porter County Commissioners sent them a letter stating the county couldn’t consolidate before Oct. 1.
“After reviewing your request, the Board of Commissioners has determined that the consolidation schedule will remain unchanged. Accordingly, Porter County Central Communications will not assume dispatching duties prior to the previously established consolidation date of October 1, 2026,” states the commissioners’ letter, dated Monday, Aug. 10.
Collins said that the towns weren’t asking permission but giving notice that the dispatch center would end on Sept. 1. She said the understanding was that the dispatch center would be closed by Oct. 1 at the latest.
But Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, said in a Tuesday phone interview that it was the towns that wanted the Oct. 1 consolidation, not the county, and that officials “will make it happen” to move up the consolidation date.
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The two towns had decided to end their joint dispatch center for police shortly after the commissioners adopted a new standard operating procedure for the E-911 Center, effective April 1, that their dispatchers would retain supervision on all 911 calls. Before, 911 calls were received by the E-911 Center and relayed to the Chesterton/Porter joint police dispatch.
The commissioners said they made the policy change because the prior arrangement was out of compliance with the state’s rules for the 911 center as a public safety answering point (PSAP).
Collins said that the two towns were reluctant to close their dispatch center, but Debby Gunn, then the E-911 director, had assured them at a March 27 meeting that the county could immediately absorb all dispatching duties. Gunn resigned as the director in July.
During the intervening months, Collins said dispatch employees from the two towns have found other jobs. So, as of Sept. 1, only one employee remains.
But when the town informed the county of the situation, Collins said the reply seems to “deem as acceptable” the risk of having just one employee to handle all the duties for a month.
“Which shows to me that they don’t really care about our officers’ safety or the community’s safety. And shame on them for that,” Collins said.
Commissioners in their letter explained that the Porter County Central Communications has been planning every aspect of the consolidation around the Oct. 1 implementation date.
“Staffing assignments, employee scheduling, training plans, operational procedures, technology preparation, and agency coordination have all been developed with that date as a target,” the letter states.
The county has talked about implementing an additional radio channel to its 911 system to accommodate the Duneland area communities. In their letter, the county noted that during the discussions about the additional channel, it was suggested that public safety agencies often have to “do more with less.”
“While the Board appreciates that reality, we believe that the same principle applies here. Until consolidation occurs, Chesterton and Porter will need to continue operating under the existing dispatch model, just as Porter County Center Communications must continue operating within the staffing, scheduling and operational constraints which it has prepared for an October 1 consolidation,” the letter says.
Porter Town Council President William Lopez, D-Ward 3, said that he has read the county’s letter but declined to comment on it until he speaks with Biggs.
Biggs said Tuesday that the county initially tried to negotiate an earlier consolidation but the two towns insisted on Oct. 1, and are now backpedaling because they’re losing dispatchers.
“Why would they hang on until October 1st if they had other options for employment?” he asked.
“We’ll make do,” he said of the need to move up the date. “We’ll make it happen. We’re going to have to move it up. Everybody’s going to have to adjust.”
“All we ask at the county is please communicate better,” he added. “The communication’s just been deplorable. Nobody needs this right now, and nobody needs the president of that town council spouting off and saying the things she’s been saying. She probably knows less about this emergency response system than anyone else involved.”
Jim Woods and Shelley Jones are freelance reporters for the Post-Tribune.