LONGMEADOW – Four Western Massachusetts towns are banding together underneath a new regional dispatch service.  East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Hampden and Chicopee are going to be gaining this service on July 1, 2018 providing the $8 million grant application that was submitted on May 15 is approved.

The regional dispatch service will be working out of Chicopee’s Police Station.  While this is a concern for some residents, Longmeadow Town Manager Stephen Crane argues it shouldn’t be.  

“It’s being stationed in the Chicopee Police Station but it’s not a part of their department.  We’re calling it ‘the island’ to really articulate and illustrate that it’s just a couple of rooms and when you step in them and close the door, you could be anywhere,” Crane added, “It’s not subject to the Chicopee Police Department or oversight.”

According to East Longmeadow Fire Chief Morrissette, the new regional dispatch service will have six dispatchers dedicated to the four communities along with a supervisor to provide extra assistance, coming to a total of seven stations.

Though the dispatch service is located in Chicopee, further away from some towns, Morrissette believes this is a non-issue.  

“The towns don’t need to be touching or right next to each other, it’s all technology based.  Dispatch technology is changing, soon enough people are going to be able to text to dispatch or video call,” he said.

Under the new regional dispatch system, 911 calls made from landlines will be answered by a West Cities Police Communications (West-Comm) employee at the dispatch location in Chicopee’s Police Department, according to Crane.  Currently, with cell phone calls, the State Police Department receives them and then transfers the call.  Crane said it’s a goal to, “eliminate that step.”

Morrissette trusts that regional dispatch will be a “homerun for the communities.”   While adding this service could cost the town some money, Morrissette said it would allow an “increased level of service.”  Crane concurs, “The shared goal of all of the member communities is a higher level of service in our communities, saving money is a secondary benefit.”

States all around the U.S. have regional dispatch systems in place.  Massachusetts, on the other hand, tends to have town-to-town dispatch.

“It’s one of my favorite projects I work on.  It’s a rare project because with regional dispatch, we can actually see the future.  Massachusetts is far behind on regional dispatch technologies.  I’m 100 percent committed to making this work and I think we would be a model for the region,” Crane said.

If the grant application is approved and the service begins in the summer of 2018, there will be a gradual process of switching over to the new dispatch procedures to ensure seamless service for the communities involved.

Hampden Police Department was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.