Chardon Dispatchers are Lifeline of Police, Residents, Visitors and Businesses
I attended the City of Chardon Safety Committee meeting on Jan. 31, 2023, at which City Manager Randy Sharpe and Police Chief Scott Niehus recommended the closing of the Chardon Police Dispatch.
I have been a Chardon Police Officer for 32 years and I offer the following thoughts.
Their recommendation lacked any concern for Chardon Police officers. Dispatch is the police officer’s lifeline. With all due respect to the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center, Chardon will not receive the same efficient and effective dispatching service from the GCSO.
The failure of City Manager Sharpe and Chief Niehus to even mention the impact on road officers of the Chardon Police tells you where the concerns are. Cost matters, safety of officers does not.
The Chief, City Manager and Committee Chair Heather Means stated they met with other departments who had closed their own dispatch. No police chief would publicly denounce a major operational change his bosses had implemented. A chief would never say, ‘yes, our service to the public has suffered greatly since we closed our dispatch.’ Giving significant credence to interviews with other chiefs lacks critical analysis.
The Chief and City Manager also astonishingly failed to mention the impact on the public. Again, cost was their only concern. There is a high price on public safety, but the Chief and Manager think the cost of safety is too high.
The Chief and Manager compared Chardon to Bainbridge and Chester. There is only one city in Geauga County; Chardon is unique and its residents, businesses and visitors deserve the best services. No honest analysis will conclude that outside dispatching is as good as our own dispatching.
Chair Means stated there were no detrimental impacts reported by citizens. How would citizens know the difference? Was any actual research done? Anecdotal research is flawed.
The Chardon Dispatch Center is effective because of the ties the dispatchers have to our community and the personal experience the dispatchers have with officers. The citizens of Chardon will not receive the same attention from GCSO Dispatch.
The GCSO dispatches for eight police departments plus Geauga Parks and sometimes for the Holden Arboretum. GCSO also dispatches for 14 fire departments as well as attending to the jail. I am not saying they cannot handle it, but where will you receive the best care? This is life and death care, do you want what is good or what is best?
Councilman Lelko rightfully called out the City Manager, who failed to know what new costs would be generated. A fair, well-reasoned discussion should include all costs, not ‘let’s get rid of dispatch and then we will figure it out.’ Once dispatch is gone, it will never return. This is a decision that will impact safety in the City of Chardon, forever.
The anticipated growth of the City of Chardon makes the entire discussion of eliminating dispatch quizzical. The City Manager and Chief are basing this decision on current calls for service, yet, if we were talking about the state of the city it would describe anticipated growth. I heard no discussion of how the growth of the city would impact calls for service and the need for dispatch services.
The Meadowlands and Fifth Avenue commercial areas have plenty of room for economic growth. The former county offices and De Nora Tech properties are prime for redevelopment. The Redwood and Thistle Creek developments are bringing hundreds more residents.
The Chief and City Manager mentioned staffing difficulties as a reason to close dispatch. Every industry is having difficulties with staffing right now. I would love to have a job where, if I was having difficulty with one aspect of my job, I could just eliminate it. If staffing is a problem, it is the job of management to find a solution. If that ‘solution’ is to eliminate dispatch and cost is the big issue, I would expect that the City Manager and Chief of Police will accept decreases in pay because they no longer oversee Chardon Dispatch.
The job of management is to provide employees with the tools necessary to perform their jobs to the highest level. Having our own dispatch allows Chardon Police officers to perform at our best.
One of the most frustrating experiences of a road officer is to have an emergency and have to wait because others are using the channel. Twenty-four other agencies will simultaneously serve the public through GCSO dispatch. I have, on rare occasion, experienced this frustration working for Chardon PD and we have a dedicated dispatch and channel. This frustration will greatly increase if dispatch services are from the GCSO; my main concern is safety of the public, not my frustration.
Chardon City Council should not approve this change without a written commitment from Sheriff Hildenbrand that CPD will have its own dedicated channel. Otherwise, Council is turning its back on the members of the Chardon Police Department and the Chardon community.
Prior discussions against closing the Chardon Dispatch Center included being the back-up for GCSO Dispatch. Sheriff Hildenbrand stated he cannot currently use Chardon Dispatch as a back-up because of outdated equipment. Sheriff Hildenbrand stated he would again use Chardon Dispatch as back-up if the dispatch center was up to standards. I believe Sheriff Hildenbrand would prefer Chardon PD as his dispatch back-up rather than Lake County, but that would require a firm commitment by the City of Chardon to maintain a properly equipped and functioning dispatch center.
One of my proudest moments as a Chardon Police officer was a couple of years ago during the Chardon High School Football/Blue Line Flag incident. The outpouring of support for law enforcement was an experience I will never forget. For years I have told people that “Chardon loves its police officers.”
At the Chardon City Council meeting on Feb. 9, I hope that love extends to the Chardon Dispatchers, who are not only the lifeline of police officers, but also the lifeline of Chardon residents, visitors, businesses and hub for all city services.
