Santa Paula Police Chief Seeks Help in 911 Dispatch

Saying the city is in danger of not being able to answer its 911 calls, Santa Paula’s police chief is urging city officials to either hire three more dispatchers or contract with the city of Ventura.

In a six-page memo addressed to the City Council, Police Chief Walter Adair said the department often has to use untrained employees--officers, cadets and even secretaries--to answer 911 calls because of a shortage of trained dispatchers.

Although the population of Santa Paula has nearly doubled since 1960, the Police Department has continued to employ only four trained dispatchers to answer emergency calls for police, fire and medical assistance, the memo says.

“It is literally the hub of the emergency services provided by the City of Santa Paula,” the memo says. “We cannot continue to operate in this fashion without, at some point, endangering the public or the emotional health of our employees.”

According to the memo, the four dispatchers, who are expected to cover a 24-hour shift the year around, often have to work overtime and are sometimes unable to take vacations or even bathroom breaks.

“It’s a very difficult situation,” Adair said in an interview Friday. “If we have a major disaster like an earthquake or a major fire or crash we wouldn’t be able to handle the calls. I think that we are lucky that we have survived this far.”

The City Council is expected to discuss Adair’s recommendations Monday and vote on whether to increase the number of dispatchers or have the city’s 911 calls answered by dispatchers in Ventura.

If it contracts with Ventura, Santa Paula could save about $41,000 in the first year and up to $100,000 in its fourth and fifth year, the memo says. Those numbers do not include the cost of hiring three new dispatchers, Adair said.

In interviews Friday, Santa Paula council members had mixed feelings about having their 911 calls answered by dispatchers outside the city.

“I think before voting to contract with the Ventura police, I would like to have a thorough analysis done,” said Councilwoman Robin Sullivan, adding that she may suggest that the council put together a task force of residents and city officials to study the issue.

Councilman Don Johnson said he will do everything he can to keep the dispatchers in Santa Paula.

“It ought to stay local,” Johnson said. “It’s important for the morale of our community that we keep our Police Department here.”

Mayor Alfonso Urias and council members John Melton and Laura Espinosa could not be reached for comment Friday.

City Manager Arnold Dowdy said the city probably can’t afford to hire three new dispatchers.

The Police Department’s $3.1-million annual budget is 53.6% of the city’s general revenues, which include property and sales taxes, Dowdy said.

“Unless the city’s revenues expand, we can’t hire anyone,” Dowdy said, adding that the most economical option for the city is to contract with Ventura.

“I don’t think we should expect an increase in revenues any time soon,” he said.

In 1992, Adair said, he joined law enforcement officers in Ventura, Oxnard and Port Hueneme who were considering consolidating their dispatch units.

Although the agreement between the four cities never came to pass, Ventura agreed that it could provide the service, Adair said.

In his memo, Adair said that in 1960 Santa Paula had 14,000 residents and four dispatchers. Today, Santa Paula’s population is more 27,000, and the department still has only four dispatchers.

To allow dispatchers to take lunch, coffee and restroom breaks, a police officer has to be called from patrol duties at least 10 hours a week, the memo says.

In addition, it says, most of the officers are not trained on the emergency dispatch equipment.

Dispatchers receive at least three months of full-time training to be certified to work with a sophisticated computer system, he said.

If the city decides not to contract with Ventura, it will have to update the dispatchers’ equipment, Adair said.