Charleston still holding out on dispatch center

City is only one in county that hasn't signed on

City is only one in county that hasn't signed on

Every jurisdiction and municipality in Charleston County officially has signed on to a plan for consolidating police, fire and emergency medical dispatch centers under one roof, except for one: the city of Charleston.

But residents shouldn't fret. City officials say they might still come on board; they just aren't ready to sign on the dotted line.

Public safety officials from across the county have been studying the feasibility of consolidating dispatch centers for the past 18 months and saw their planning culminate last week when the 10 jurisdictions and municipalities endorsed an agreement for more efficient service.

A centralized dispatch center would help cut the time wasted in transferring calls.

North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt, who heads the consolidated dispatch committee, said their unified approach to improving public safety is monumental.

"At no other time in my 30 years in law enforcement have I seen more cooperation going on between multiple emergency response disciplines," he said. "It's the first time in this county's history, and it's unusual anywhere in the nation to have this broad of a group."

Involved are: Isle of Palms, North Charleston, Folly Beach, Mount Pleasant, the St. Andrews Public Service District, the James Island Public Service District, the St. Johns Fire District, Charleston County and its emergency response departments and the Sheriff's Office.

Zumalt praised Charleston County Council for footing the bill for the new center by 2014. The council agreed in October to eventually shoulder the entire operating cost, though local jurisdictions and governments would help out for the first couple of years. The center will cost an estimated $10.5 million a year.

Councilman Joe McKeown said: "It is a huge, huge thing for County Council to unanimously vote to take the funding pressure off the municipalities and take it over ourselves, but that decision was made a lot easier for me and my counterparts because of the hard work that the board did. ... Their cooperative spirit has been very refreshing."

McKeown also said it usually is "like herding cats" to get everyone involved in a single effort but that he's pleased that the public will benefit from shortened emergency response times.

But at least one council member has expressed concern in the past about the city of Charleston not immediately joining.

Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said they haven't ruled out consolidating dispatch with the rest of the county.

He said the city is not prepared to sign up because the plan calls for an initial five-year commitment and that could be problematic on a few fronts.

For example, Mullen said the city needs to first consider any costs it could incur, such as with switching frequencies so that they are in line with the county. Charleston is the only municipality that has its own radio system, he said.

"That could be relatively expensive, not only in the one-time costs but ongoing costs in terms of maintenance," he said.

Mullen also said they'll need to consider a clause that says they'd need to obtain separate agreements for areas they patrol outside of the county because the city patrols some of Daniel Island as well as areas in Berkeley County.

And, the city already is spending millions to upgrade its dispatch and records management center for the police and fire departments.

Mullen noted that the city has been involved with talks about a centralized center from the start. He said they will continue participating and will stay informed on procedural advancements until they can possibly work out the kinks.

They don't see an urgency to sign up, he added, because the center isn't expected to be up and running until 2012. County officials are searching for somewhere to build it in the northern part of the county.

"The only thing that we haven't done right now is make a commitment to this," Mullen said. "We're not saying that we don't support it. We're not saying that it's not a good idea. ... We're just saying at this particular point that we were not prepared to sign on that line."

Reach Tenisha Waldo at twaldo@postandcourier.com or 937-5744.

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