Updated: 1/20/2019
Laverne Police Department dispatch office will be shut down within the next year or so due to new state E911 laws. (See Woodward News article.)
Click here for more information on what dispatchers, also known as Public Safety Telecommunicators, do.
Officers and EMS using cell phones concerns me because:
Jeff Howard, former City Superintendent, worked very hard to make sure the Laverne dispatch communications are optimal. The average area reached (depending on atmospheric conditions) is/was nearly as far as:
The Laverne dispatch has served several fire departments because Harper, Ellis, and Beaver County Sheriffs Offices cannot consistently reach:
An example of dispatchers helping firemen.
Some possible solutions to consider:
Laverne Police Department dispatch office will be shut down within the next year or so due to new state E911 laws. (See Woodward News article.)
Click here for more information on what dispatchers, also known as Public Safety Telecommunicators, do.
Officers and EMS using cell phones concerns me because:
- We still have dead spots for cell service out here. If the Ambulance were to have mechanical difficulties and could not call out...
- If a police officer finds himself in a dangerous situation, it's much harder to fumble with a phone compared to pushing one button on a radio.
Jeff Howard, former City Superintendent, worked very hard to make sure the Laverne dispatch communications are optimal. The average area reached (depending on atmospheric conditions) is/was nearly as far as:
- Clearlake in Beaver County
- East of Buffalo in Harper County
- Fort Supply in Woodward County
- Shattuck in Ellis County
- Englewood in Kansas
The Laverne dispatch has served several fire departments because Harper, Ellis, and Beaver County Sheriffs Offices cannot consistently reach:
- Laverne Fire Department
- Rosston Fire Department
- May Fire Department
- Gate Fire Department
- Slapout Fire Department
- Catesby Fire Department
An example of dispatchers helping firemen.
Some possible solutions to consider:
- Making Laverne's dispatch into a Regional Emergency Communications Center, which several communities/counties would financially support.
- Creating a mobile Tactical Dispatch team that would be paged with the emergency services personnel to work individual incidents only as needed. Both options would take some logistic consideration.