By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
Ideas for a consolidated police dispatch are being discussed and weighed by the Public Safety Subcommittee of the Transition Task Force last week in response to a request for information put out last month.
Police dispatch services for Princeton Borough and Princeton Township will be consolidated in the new Princeton on Jan. 1 and the subcommittee is searching for the best way to do this with the most fiscal responsibility. The committee is also trying to keep an eye to the future and possibly plan for a regional operation down the road.
A managed service option to consolidate the two police communications systems gives the task force the possibility of looking at combining operations, technology and governance into one delivery system that is overseen by an outside company.
That outside company could be Cranbury-based iXP, which is run by CEO Bill Metro, a Princeton resident who previously served on the Joint Shared Services Consolidation Commission. He resigned from the commission last month because of concerns about his business.
”iXP’s primary recommendation is for Princeton to implement a ‘managed service’ for 9-1-1 dispatch to meet their immediate goal for consolidating the two separate dispatch centers by Jan. 1st, and at the same time establish a roadmap for improved dispatch services with less cost for the next 10 years,” said Mr. Metro. “Implementing a consolidated dispatch center for Princeton by Jan. 1st should not be a short-sighted approach.”
iXP’s plan for consolidation calls for the township to serve as a temporary facility beginning in the New Year while a new center is built in the lower level of the current Borough Hall. “When the borough facility would be completed, the old township dispatch center can remain as a backup facility,” said Mr. Metro, who noted there is no backup system in place now.
Minor upgrades would need to be made to the township facility to have it ready to serve as a temporary facility. A lot of the upgrades would be permanent and could transition to the new dispatch center, such as bringing both former radio frequencies and systems into one unified system. The two towns currently use different frequencies and radios.
Borough Hall and the township municipal building were both looked at as possible dispatch sites and Borough Hall is the favored location because it has the most room for growth potential. It also is the highest elevation in the area for the antenna and radio system to expand to a regional system, should that ever happen.
The consolidated or regional dispatch center would require 2,500 to 3,500 square feet, and there is probably adequate space along the north side of the borough building where the officer’s gym is located, said Mr. Metro. The existing locker and shower facilities could be used as is. The sergeant’s room, and evidence storage could be repurposed for additional space.
Both the township and borough police radio infrastructure is already in the borough, with the radio tower, radio controllers and repeaters that amplify signals and the boroughs’ 9-1-1 trunk lines already stationed in the borough’s building.
The building might need to have additional security if dispatch is housed in the borough because the plan now calls for police to vacate the building.
The township facility could be used, but there are risks.
”There is significant risk in doing multiple upgrades to a live call center, especially considering the age of the equipment,” said Mr. Metro. “It can be done, it’s just more risky.”
It would cost about $200,000 to build an entirely new dispatch system in the lower level of Borough Hall. iXP’s plan calls for the borough facility to be renovated to support regionalization, by Jan. 1.
”That seems too aggressive for everyone,” said Mr. Metro, who suggested the township as a temporary location until all the entities involved can be comfortable with the idea.
No matter what happens, equipment upgrades are a must.
”Both have old equipment that is 10 years old or more,” said Mr. Metro.
The borough has the older equipment and parts are very hard to find, according to Richard Cottrell, a state equipment contractor with WPCS in Lakewood. “They both have systems that are no longer supported by the manufacturer,” he said.
He said to expand the current township dispatch center, it would cost $110,000. The figure includes $92,000 in equipment and $13,000 in labor costs. Some components can be expanded and upgraded. “Anything that can be salvaged and upgraded will be,” he said. “Whatever we can reuse we will.”
The township space is restricted and can only accommodate one more dispatcher and dispatch station, said Mr. Metro, who noted the consolidation commission recommended one more dispatch position in its plans.
iXP recommends a total of up to nine staff positions working different length shifts to manage the workload more efficiently.
Currently, the township has two positions staffed by four full-time dispatchers and per-diem dispatchers and the borough has one position staffed by four dispatchers.
One issue that needs to be looked at is the employees’ status and whether they would remain municipal employees or become iXP employees. “That is an option but not a requirement,” said Mr. Metro. “That’s up to the municipality.”
The subcommittee will be examining the length of service of all the dispatchers to help it make this decision. Once dispatchers are employed for 10 years in the municipality, they become vested in the pension system, and this pension could be impacted by privatization.
iXP could take over the employee management and offers a 401k retirement plan with company match.
iXP was asked to make its presentation to the public safety subcommittee on June 15 with a proposal to build a new dispatch center in the borough.
Regionalization option
Regionalization brings down costs as multiple users would share the costs of staffing, equipment and maintenance of the dispatch center, said Mr. Metro.
Timing is everything and the consolidation could be the catalyst that moves the idea of regional dispatch from a dream into reality.
”The most important thing is you have the timing to do this quickly, without a reason to move and drive, the discussions have been going on,” said Mr. Metro. “It’s better for Princeton because under the governance model we are considering, Princeton is the manager of the call center and they could be subscribers and there are additional savings in the consolidation that could be realized above the consolidation report. We can rachet this down further.”
Interest from Lawrence, Hopewell and Ewing is “very high,” in having a regional center and iXP has meetings scheduled with these municipalities in July, said Mr. Metro.
”Over the past few months, discussions about consolidating dispatch services have increased between Lawrence, Ewing, Hopewell, and Princeton because they are all facing the same expensive costs for replacing obsolete dispatch software, hardware, specialized equipment, and making needed facility modifications,” said Mr. Metro. “These municipalities are interested in sharing the costs between them to provide the economy of scale needed that would further save precious budget dollars for each municipality.”
If the regional system comes to fruition, Princeton would charge a subscriber fee to other agencies coming into the regional model. No fee has been established because the idea is still in its infancy.
Next step in the consolidation process, whether it is a consolidated plan or regional option, is to engage with the Princeton governments and craft a business case with a model to bring the municipalities together and down the road plan for possible regionalization.
Equipment needs
The fact that Princeton Borough and Township police dispatch are different systems that need to be combined into one system and equipment needs to facilitate this process were discussed by Lakewood-based WPCS.
The dispatch equipment must be replaced because it is obsolete and hard to upgrade, said Mr. Cottrell.
There are equipment needs that must be met no matter which option — consolidated dispatch or regionalization — happens.
A new radio system is estimated to cost $225,000. Additional dispatch equipment will cost $100,000. The new town will also need new mobile and portable radios, which are estimated to cost $189,000, to bring the two forces onto the same radio system.
The subcommittee unanimously agreed to make the recommendation for these three purchases, which total about $514,000, in order to get the equipment in time for Jan. 1 use.
Whether a facility is upgraded or a new one built, the timeline is about four months once contracts are finalized, said Mr. Cottrell.
WPCS is also suggesting the new municipality consider abandoning the tower at Borough Hall and install a new one at Princeton University’s Fine Hall, on Washington Street near the stadium, for improved radio coverage in the consolidated town.

