Campbell considering civilian dispatchers

CAMPBELL

City council introduced legislation this week to replace auxiliary police dispatchers with civilians and to pare the 2017 budget.

The ordinance states the part-time civilian dispatchers will perform clerk duties in addition to running dispatch. The clerk-dispatchers will “relieve sworn officers from station duty,” the proposal states.

Mayor Nick Phillips and Police Chief Dennis Puskarcik requested the ordinance, which will come up for council’s final approval after two more readings.

Civilian dispatchers must pass a background check and would earn $10 an hour for no more than 28 hours per week without fringe benefits. In contrast, the rate of pay for city’s 15 auxiliary police officers ranges from $11.75 to $14.50 an hour without benefits.

Read more about the plan in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.