The Chesterton and
Porter police departments are set to merge both their dispatch functions and
their detective bureaus.
At its meeting
Monday night, the Chesterton Town Council voted 4-0 to approve what’s being
called an agreement “for the consolidation of certain police services.”
Member Nick Walding,
R-3rd, was not in attendance. The Porter Town Council has yet to consider
the agreement.
The genesis of the
partial consolidation is I.C. 36-8-16.7-47, under which no county may have
more than two public safety answering points (or PSAPs) after Dec. 31, 2014.
Currently there are three: the CPD’s, the PPD’s, and the Porter County e-911
Dispatch Center.
Chesterton Police
Chief Dave Cincoski told members that, about three years ago, he began
exploring the feasibility of consolidating the CPD’s PSAP with the PPD’s,
after determining that a merger with the PCSP’s would “not be fruitful.”
The agreement which
the Chesterton Town Council approved on Monday is the result.
Under that
agreement:
* All dispatching
for the two departments will now be physically done at the Porter Police
station.
* Each PD will
provide one dispatcher per shift per day. Should the midnight shift warrant
only one dispatcher, that one will be provided by the PPD. Cincoski told the
Chesterton Tribune after the meeting that the consolidation will
render no dispatcher positions redundant and that there will be no
job loss.
* Dispatchers will
receive wages and benefits from their respective department, will be subject
to that department’s policies and procedures, and will be commended or
disciplined by that respective department.
* But all
dispatchers will be subject to the lawful orders or directives of sworn
officers of either the CPD or the PPD, “depending upon shift
situations and working conditions.”
* The PPD has
already installed all necessary hardware. The two PDs will equally share the
cost of maintenance and upkeep. The CPD, however, will pay for the initial
transfer and installation of telephone service and will pay the monthly
telephone fees, while the PPD will pay for the cost of utilities and office
supplies. The CPD will also pay for the purchase and installation of Tiburon
software to enable the interface of hardware between the two PDs.
Cincoski did tell
the Tribune one other thing. Although there will no longer be a
dispatcher in the radio room in the foyer of the town hall, residents will
be able to reach an officer on duty at the station by means of a telephone
to be installed in the lobby.
The Detective
Bureau
What Dunelanders
are likely to notice more than the consolidation of the two departments’
dispatch functions, on the other hand, is that of their detective bureaus,
which under the agreement will now “operate in a taskforce capacity”
headquartered at the CPD:
* The taskforce
will be comprised of detectives assigned to the Investigations Division by
their respective police chief of each town.
* The taskforce’s
immediate supervisor will be the Investigations Commander assigned by the
CPD chief. That person will “assign cases to all detectives regardless of
originating jurisdictions.”
* Although
detectives will have “primary responsibilities for their respective
jurisdiction,” they may also be “assigned cases from the other town if the
Investigations Commander determines that the case load for any detective
warrants (it).”
* All commendations
or disciplinary actions related to detectives “will be forwarded through the
respective chain of command by the Investigations Commander of the
Chesterton Police Department.”
* Each PD will
equip its own detectives. The CPD will provide office supplies.
The agreement
governing the consolidation of the dispatch functions will remain in effect
until either the CPD or the PPD gives written notice of its intention to
terminate it. A one-year notice prior to termination is required.
The consolidation
of the detective bureaus may be terminated after a one-month written notice.
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