Warren council authorizes negotiations for police dispatching to move to county 911

Staff report

WARREN

Moving Warren’s police dispatching to the Trumbull County 911 Center could begin as soon as Sept. 1 after a vote at Wednesday’s Warren City Council meeting authorizing the city administration to negotiate an agreement with the county.

By a vote of 8-2, council approved a much-debated resolution that will save the city about $400,000 per year compared with the current cost to operate its own dispatching center.

Voting against the measure were Councilmen Dan Sferra and Al Novak, who consistently have voiced their opposition.

Mayor Doug Franklin spoke just before the vote, saying the move to the county will allow the city to provide the best possible police protection for its citizens.

Officials have said the city needs to cut about $1 million from next year’s budget because of decreasing revenue, so saving $400,000 through the change in dispatching will reduce the possibility that police officers will have to be laid off.

Ernie Cook, chief deputy with the county sheriff’s office and county 911 director, said he expects the county and city administration to work out an agreeable contract.

The final steps will be to determine how many of the city’s dispatchers want to move to the county 911 center and work out some technicalities with the phone companies.

“I think it sets a good example throughout Northeast Ohio,” Cook said of bringing the county’s largest city and the county dispatching together to become more efficient.