Town Turns to Private Firm For Dispatching

Earlier this month, things were looking pretty grim for the town of Houston (Alaska), since on the next day their dispatching contract with the city of Wasilla’s Mat-Com center was going to expire. The town of 1,200 couldn’t afford the rate hike proposed by Mat-Com—from $12,800 in 2009 to $54,000 this year. But private enterprise stepped in, when managers at Guardian Security (Anchorage) called the town’s mayor and offered to begin answering 911 calls and dispatching officers. Mayor Rosemary Burnett wouldn’t reveal how much Guardian is charging, but said it’s below the former $12,800 rate. Read more about the private 911 solution here. and download (pdf) a town press release on the situation here.