Gilford asking county to seriously study concept of a regional police dispatch service

GILFORD — Selectmen have requested the Belknap County Commissioners and the 18-member N.H. House delegation to appropriate resources to study regionalizing police dispatch services. Fire service dispatch already operates on a regional basis.

The letter making the request was signed by selectmen Wednesday night and made available yesterday after it was sent to the county administrator.

For the second time in three years, selectmen also asked the County Commission to "encourage the county to impose a fee system for dispatch services that are provided to municipalities base on the actual costs incurred by county taxpayers."

They said, in their opinion, it is "inherently unfair" to communities like Laconia and Gilford that provide 24-hour police dispatch services within their own police budgets.

All Belknap County communities, except Laconia and Gilford, use the Sheriff's Department for some or all of their police dispatch.

The topic was first broached in 2010 when Gilford was short one dispatcher and during one of the so-called Belknap County conversations asked commissioners to absorb the midnight to 8 a.m. shift for the town.

At the time, Sheriff Craig Wiggin said he would be more than willing to take over the dispatching but needed a little lead time work out the logistics with alarm companies and to assess his own personnel needs.

In the interim, through funds made available through the federal stimulus program, the sheriff's department has upgraded its dispatch system although there are some outstanding issues regarding the use of the new tower on Belknap Mountain.

Police Chief Kevin Keenan told selectmen Wednesday night that he and Wiggin had met for about three hours earlier that day he "was very cooperative" about working doing a study about regionalizing police dispatch services.

Wiggin said the county already has a regional dispatch service and that it is not necessary to spend money on an outside consultant to come in and tell them what they already know.

"If they want us to dispatch for them, all they need to do is ask. We can handle it, contrary to their assertions otherwise. However, they need to get their act together and direct Kevin to spend the necessary funds to forward telephone lines, alarm systems, etc. to us if and when they shut down at various times like several other departments do," he said.

As to assessing fees for services, it is the County Commissioners and the County Delegation who would make that determination, not the Sheriff's Department, said Wiggin.

In June of 2011, Commissioner Ed Philpot said the services provided by the county did not come on an "a la carte menu" and the Commission dismissed a similar request from Gilford. Philpot reiterated his position at Wednesday morning's commissioner's meeting.

As to the latest request, County Administrator Debra Shackett said she had received it yesterday and it will be on the next agenda.