Wednesday, July 13, 2011

South San Francisco takes over Pacifica's police dispatch


Funny how things can happen quickly when City Council is motivated.  

From  Mercury News/Neil Gonzales, 7/13/11.  "South San Francisco is poised to take over 911 emergency calls for Pacifica, which needs to outsource the service because of its budget problems. The change would result in annual savings for Pacifica but could reduce interactions between police and residents, a Pacifica official said. A South San Francisco official, however, said the switch will not hurt emergency response times in Pacifica.  The South San Francisco City Council is scheduled to consider approving the agreement at a meeting Wednesday. The pact would run over three fiscal years through 2013-14, with South San Francisco being compensated about $612,000 annually, according to a staff report. 
The partnership should benefit both cities, South San Francisco Vice Mayor Richard Garbarino said.  "I don't think they can carry a full dispatch center," Garbarino said of Pacifica. "They are strained economically. We all are." For South San Francisco, he said, "It gives us extra people. It gives us more capacity."  South San Francisco police would hire four additional people for its dispatch center to address the increased workload of covering Pacifica, according to the staff report. Besides its own city, the department already dispatches for Colma, mostly during late-night and early-morning hours. The dispatching transition from Pacifica to South San Francisco is expected to start in early August and last six months because of training for both existing and new employees related to the change and other needs, the report says.

According to Pacifica police Capt. Dave Bertini, outsourcing dispatch would save his city about $280,000 a year. That is part of a plan to slash $700,000 from the Pacifica police budget, he said.  Last month, the Pacifica council approved an overall city budget that lopped off $1.5 million and laid off an equivalent of nearly 20 full-time employees -- including five dispatchers and their supervisor. Those dispatch workers have been invited to apply for employment with South San Francisco, Bertini said, "but there's no guarantee they will get a job there."  Although giving up its dispatch service would yield savings for Pacifica at a time of budget constraints, Bertini said the switch could also bring some difficulties, especially in the beginning. 

Pacifica's police station would not be open 24 hours a day anymore, because no dispatcher would be there, he said. Residents needing to take care of a police matter would have to go to the station during regular business hours.  South San Francisco dispatchers "don't have an intimate knowledge" of Pacifica's geography and would need to become familiar with it, Bertini added.  South San Francisco would also see an increase in the number of emergency calls by covering another city, he said. "It may get busy."  But South San Francisco police Chief Michael Massoni said he doesn't foresee any serious obstacles.  While it's good for dispatchers to become familiar with a city, Massoni said, the computer system would show which officer is the closest to send to an emergency in Pacifica.  The increased call volume also would not be an issue because of the planned hiring of the additional dispatchers, he said. "The cities won't see a decline in service," Massoni said. "They'll see it improve."employees related to the change and other needs, the report says.

Because of the poor economy, cities are continually exploring ways to team up and share the delivery of services. To that end, South San Francisco Mayor Kevin Mullin sees the agreement with Pacifica as "the first step in a larger conversation" about providing dispatch services throughout northern San Mateo County. Mullin hopes South San Francisco "can maybe work with a few other cities in the North County (to) consolidate that operation," he said."  

Posted by Kathy Meeh

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

More of this is needed. Much more. Get on with it Mr. Rhodes.

Anonymous said...

They cut some dead wood. They got rid of CQ

Anonymous said...

Sure there's some dead wood. That's bound to happen in these cozy little city depts, in every single one of them. But that's no longer the big issue. These consolidations must happen now in order to preserve some semblance of a functioning city. The changes to the US economy are profound and long-lasting. This city needs to look at every service now and find alternative ways to provide them whether that's by out-sourcing or consolidation with other cities or the county. Wasting energy on old battles, looking for people to blame, clinging to out-dated and no longer available solutions...these are all forms of denial. Dangerous denial. The survival of vital police dispatch service is secure. Thank you to the city officials who made this happen. Please let's move on to other services asap.

Anonymous said...

So, are the SSF police dispatchers directing SSF PD black & white units to calls in Pacifica; or will they soon deploy PPD units to PAC calls? I am new to this topic, but have not seen the distinction yet stated. It appears to be the latter scenario. In this case, are the usual PPD units just cruising around PAC waiting for calls to come in from SSF? Since the PPD station will be closed outside of normal business hours, where will our own cops be positioned? Simply cruising around town?

mike bell said...

"Wasting energy on old battles, looking for people to blame, clinging to out-dated and no longer available solutions..."

Makes sense but misses the point.

If we don't understand history we will repeat it. The reason Pacifica is so close to the brink is because of the foolish policies put forward by Vreeland, deJarnatt and Digre and their sycophants. The poverty loving, faux-enviro NIMBY'S are well organized and always manage to squeak out a majority.

Why?

Those of us who favor sane, revenue producing development are not well organized and we've done a lousy job educating the vast sea of un-informed voters who continue to vote for familiar names without understanding the consequences. They are easy prey for this bunch of entrenched liars.

Anonymous said...

Of course. So don't elect them again. Find someone else who is electable and can run a good campaign. However, the constant drum beat at this very late date draws attention from the truly precarious state of this city. Frankly a lot of the criticism seems so personal and negative that those who engage in it seriously damage their very own cause by making a very bad impression on that vast sea of uninformed voters you're worried about as well as people in Pacifica who are ready for change but will reject personal attacks. Give folks some credit for common sense and then respect their choices. Meanwhile the denial at city hall must end and the focus be put on saving this city by finding alternatives to deliver needed services in the tough years ahead. That has to be the top priority. No doubt there are small scale projects on the horizon which may or may not succeed and every little bit helps but their is no magic revenue stream headed our way.

Kathy Meeh said...

Anon (736) get a clue, there is "no magic revenue stream headed our way" due to the "no growth" city council leadership of Vreeland, Digre and DeJarnatt. 8+ years to get their act together and do the right thing. They did not.

The story has to be told and understood, Pacificans can read it here on Fix Pacifica (reality blog). As Mike (710) said "If we don't understand history we will repeat it. The reason Pacifica is so close to the brink is because of the foolish policies put forward by Vreeland, deJarnatt and Digre and their sycophants."

You said, referring to City Council, "have respect for their choices". Surely you are not referring to the BIG, important, economic development issues-- Vreeland, Digre and DeJarnatt repeatedly and purposefully failed that test.

Pacificans have been misguided and played-with long enough, we have heard enough nonsense to last a lifetime. You want to talk about "finding alternatives to deliver needed services" and making "a bad impression on the uninformed voters"? Lets inform the voters, keep the issues in front of them and clear. Maybe by the next election the uninformed will be more informed and overturn the machine that has ruined needed economic balance in this city. This is not a complicated issue, it has been a confused issue. Time to stop the confusion.

Anonymous said...

I'm confused. Did Kathy Meeh actually say time to stop the confusion? Gott im himmel! Hang on the earth is spinning backwards.

mike bell said...

I take it very personal that a well organized minority of Council "buddies" have destroyed our beloved Pacifica. This problem will not go away by everybody playing nice.
Our best hope is that un-informed voters will put two and two together after Pacifica collapses and start challenging the BS created by these extraordinarily selfish people.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe anyone on here has said play nice or has minimized the longterm, lasting structural damage done to Pacifica by elitist enviros, faux and otherwise, in the last 25 years. What has been said is that all signs indicate Pacifica's complete financial failure is unavoidable and coming up fast. Getting out in front of that, saving city services by consolidating and out-sourcing as many as possible now, not later, should be top priority at city hall. And that would apply to any city hall in any city facing financial collapse. From your post it seems your hope is a chaotic collapse followed by some sort of epiphany among the voters resulting in an election sweep. Do we really need the chaotic collapse with loss of options and planning? When this city fails it's not those politicians you hate who will suffer. It's the public who pays...the kids, seniors, you, me, all of us. I'll continue to put my faith in the voter's common sense, their ability to see the damage and place the blame, and to respect their choices and their absolute right to choose. I also have a healthy respect for the way voters historically reject negative campaigning and personal attacks--particularly in small towns like this. It often backfires. And you know what that would mean.

Anonymous said...

If this blog was more organized Vreeland would be off council. If the people who oppose city council came to meetings and lashed out at the 3 stooges maybe Pete and Sue would be gone by now also.

Loeb, Bray, Hall, Leone, PSD the Pacifica think tank needs to go away, as do the 3 stooges.

The old City Council battle cry of let us build trails and they shall come has played its course.

They failed and the 3 stooges need to go

todd bray said...

Mike, maybe folks just don't trust you. Maybe it is that simply.

When we moved here in '96 it was for the feeling of rural seclusion that was only 15 minutes away from SF. I got involved in 2002 because of a majority supported by you that was over the top disastrous for Pacifica.

The recent fire tax campaign showed there is ample revenues for Pacifica to meet it's needs but unfortunately so many senior staff, department heads, fire and police are sucking the marrow out of our budget instead of manning up and taking the necessary compensation cuts needed to balance our budget without all these layoffs.

There is plenty of money Mike.

Kathy Meeh said...

"If this blog was more organized.." is that by Anonymous people like you (603)?

"Do we really need the chaotic collapse with loss of options and planning?" Did you or anyone else suggest that Anonymous (239am)? This city has been under "systematic collapse" during the entire denture of city council majority, now 3 (Vreeland, Digre, DeJarnatt). Is that better?

And Anon (603) I don't buy your deflective election theory-- there have been too many pro-economy challenger candidates for the past several elections-- that's one issue. And, "..reject negative campaigning and personal attacks-- the economic history of this city council majority is NEGATIVE, not to be confused with "personal attacks" which is a non-issue. Staying fact based is good, this city has had years of finessed "good news" void of adequate financial solutions.

mike bell said...

I don't hate anyone. I hate what selfish people have done to choke the life out of Pacifica.

I don't want Pacifica to collapse. I want the truth to emerge, not the chronic dishonest political rewrites.

I respect voters who make an effort to understand the issues and vote their conscience. Those who vote carelessly (or not at all) are complicit with the selfish people who are driving Pacifica off the cliff.

Fixing Pacifica starts with shining a very bright light on our so called community leaders, putting a check on their credibility and preventing them from contaminating the journey ahead.

Pacifica can and should be a financially healthy city, a great place to raise families, a great place for visitors and businesses to enjoy and spend money and an urban-coastal, jewel by the sea, with enough revenue to keep it that way.

Steve Sinai said...

"If this blog was more organized Vreeland would be off council."

The purpose of this blog is not to run organized campaigns against anyone.

Anonymous said...

@1131am Kathy actually said "the entire denture of city council majority". What!! They bit us?
Lay off the vampire films Meeh. You're getting some crossover.

Anonymous said...

I don't want to know what Meeh was doing when she typed that line.

Kathy Meeh said...

How about this bite? Typo, word is "tenure". Get a life, you're grown-up now.

Anonymous said...

Excuses Excuses Sinai

Anonymous said...

From one grown-up to another, no translation needed, I speak fluent Meehse. It's the imagery that's lingers.

Kathy Meeh said...

Anon 352, think I should tell you what I was doing when the 1131 typo occurred. It happens I was beginning to deal with an email network/internet problem. "Denture" - computer "bites", its a bit of a stretch (maybe). By, 354 still working on the same issue, so Anon 341, you caught a few extra "bites".

Anon 452 is amused, but this kind of unconscious cross-over (if that) may be like learning "imagery" in the land of Anonymousese.