County Centers Choose Independence

Of the 48 law enforcement agencies in Monmouth County (NJ), just seven have chosen to have the county provide dispatching services, with the others believing that local control is best. That fact came out during a recent Fair Haven borough council meeting to gather citizen input on a plan to move their dispatching to the county. About 40 residents spoke to the council, and most believed it was better to have locally-informed dispatchers. The borough spends $160,00 a year to answer 9,000 telephone calls, not including pension costs. Under a preliminary plan, the borough would pay the county $10,000 as a start-up fee, and up to $58,000 by the end of the year for other expenses. The borough would then pay $4.32 per 911 call that was a true emergency, or about $38,000 a year. Read more about the plan here.