Warren officials and dispatchers discuss switch to Trumbull Co. 911

WARREN — Members of the Warren City Council Police and Fire Committee made it clear tonight that moving the city’s police dispatching operations to the county 911 center will only happen after a thorough discussion.

Mayor Doug Franklin, Safety-Service Director Enzo Cantalamessa and Committee Chairman Eddie Colbert said if the city passes on the $400,000 to $500,000 annual savings the switch would produce, cuts will have to be made elsewhere.

Dispatchers, police officers and a union official also spoke, expressing concerns for what level of officer safety might be lost.

Ernie Cook, chief deputy at the sheriff’s office and county 911 director, said Warren receives 33,000 911 calls per year, and the county receives about 58,000.

The 10 or 11 Warren dispatchers are all guaranteed a job with the county if they want one, and two of the 10 dispatching seats at the county center would be dedicated to Warren calls only, Cook said.

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