Hillsdale PBA VP asks council to include union in dispatch consolidation talks

“Who knows more about dispatching than the police officers who are – themselves – busy answering these calls right now?” said Patrol Officer Sean Kavanagh, vice-president of P.B.A. Local #207 (COMPLETE LETTER BELOW).

It was as Kavanaugh entered a letter from the local into the record that his colleagues were scrambling to try and save the life of a young boy run over by a car on nearby Hillsdale Avenue.

“There are many dispatching solutions,” the veteran officer said, “and we are confident that the P.B.A. can be an important voice in the process of deciding where, when, and how phone calls are answered or how police officers are sent to help a citizen in need.

“Please include us in these decisions that will surely affect everyone who lives, works, or passes through Hillsdale, New Jersey.”

This comes less than a week after nearly 150 residents and business owners urged Washington Township officials tonight to more closely examine a proposal that would merge their dispatch services with at least one other area town’s, either Hillsdale’s or Westwood’s. Another bid was made by chiefs in Emerson, Hillsdale, Old Tappan, River Vale, Westwood and Washington Township who want to consolidate all emergency dispatching at police headquarters in Old Tappan.

SEE:

Washington Township residents, police urge officials to look closer at consolidation study

Thursday, 27 October 2011 02:35 Jerry DeMarco

CLIFFVIEW PILOT AT THE SCENE: Nearly 150 residents and business owners urged Washington Township officials tonight to more closely examine a proposal by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office to fund a police consolidation study. READ MORE….

PBA urges township officials to get public input on sharing emergency services dispatching

Thursday, 20 October 2011 21:50 Jerry DeMarco

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: Washington Township PBA members are urging officials to proceed “in the proper way” before deciding on a bid by six Pascack Valley police chiefs to share dispatch services. READ MORE….

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Here is Local #207‘s letter in full:

To the Mayor & Council:

My name is Sean Kavanagh. I am a Hillsdale Police Officer and the Delegate of P.B.A. #207.

As you may well know, Hillsdale P.B.A. Local #207 is a chapter of the New Jersey State P.B.A. The P.B.A. is a fraternal organization that represents the sworn police officers who serve the citizens in
the large majority of New Jersey’s towns and counties. Similar to the many guilds that represent skilled laborers and professional workers from a variety of American industries, the P.B.A. represents the interests and welfare of law enforcement.

The members of Hillsdale P.B.A. Local #207 are your police officers. Each and every day, the members of the Hillsdale Police Department begin their shifts at all different hours of the day or night, protecting our town and professionally responding to citizens’ calls for help. We are the local cops who are proud to serve the residents of this town, guard against crime, and promote safety in Hillsdale.

While the members of Hillsdale PBA Local #207 are your police officers, please remember that we are also your neighbors, your friends, and active members of this community. In addition to serving the public as police officers, the members of the PBA also fill many other social roles in their spare time,such as being mentors and coaches in Hillsdale.

That said, I am here tonight to remind the Mayor & Council that we are stakeholders in the success of the Hillsdale Police Department and the continued prosperity of the Borough of Hillsdale. Like most residents in town, we have been following the newspaper coverage of recent conversations to modify the way that the Police Department manages telephone calls, 9-1-1 requests, and radio dispatching among the three branches of public safety. We know – first hand – just how important this function is when seconds count. From dramatic moments, like a medical emergency, to mundane examples, like a strange car on your street, no matter how serious or how routine the matter, it always starts with a phone call. Obviously, it is critical to have a reliable system in place handling that initial phone call.

As such, the P.B.A. would like to be involved in this conversation. Who better to help brainstorm ideas?

Who knows more about dispatching than the police officers who are – themselves – busy answering these calls right now?

There are many dispatching solutions, and we are confident that the P.B.A. can be an important voice in the process of deciding where, when, and how phone calls are answered or how police officers are sent
to help a citizen in need. Please include us in these decisions that will surely affect everyone who lives, works, or passes through Hillsdale, New Jersey.

On behalf of PBA Local #207, thank you.

 

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