By Mary Weston
The Oroville Mercury Register
OROVILLE, Calif. — City Council discussed three issues Tuesday night to move forward with combining the city police and fire dispatch.
Mayor Linda Dahlmeier gave staff direction to submit a memorandum of understanding to El Medio Fire District for providing dispatch services and to Mooretown Rancheria Tribal Law Enforcement for providing radio service for officers but not dispatch.
Also approved was the extension of a contract with Butte County-Cal Fire for six months starting July 1, until the dispatch center expansion is finished probably in September.
According to a city report, the contract with Cal Fire can be canceled with 120 days notice.
The Council also authorized spending up to $188,246 for a new computer-aided dispatching and records system (CAD) 6-1, with Councilman David Pittman voting no.
Police Chief Bill La Grone said the new system, which is the same one the town of Paradise uses, would allow the police department to connect with other departments such as Paradise and Gridley with calls coming into the departments.
Also the new CAD system will allow real-time information about calls to go into the Crime Maps. That will allow people to go online if the police are responding to a call in their neighborhoods and find out what is happening as the response progresses.
La Grone said the items before council Tuesday night were just a continuance of combining police and fire dispatch.
La Grone said a little more than $130,000 of the Indian Gaming Grant will help pay for the new CAD system, and it will pay for the radio service to the Tribal law enforcement.
Fire Chief Charles Hurley said it will also make it easier for officers and firefighters to write up reports, with information about the call available through the system.
But Pittman said, “We had a system that was a Cadillac, and this seems to me like we are getting a motorcycle.”
Earlier this month, council approved a proposal by Fire Chief La Grone to bring Oroville Fire Department dispatch to the Oroville Police Department dispatch center.
Police and fire dispatch used to be combined at the police station before the city contracted with Cal-Fire for dispatch during the Ron Myers era.
The city expects the remodel of the dispatch center will be finished by mid-September.
Copyright 2011 Oroville Mercury Register
All Rights Reserved