POLICE DISPATCHING: CENTRALIZED SYSTEM STUDIED

JACKSON -- A committee will study the feasibility of a new radio system that could serve all emergency response agencies in Cape Girardeau County and whether to set up centralized dispatching for all of them.

Ten members were named to the committee by the Cape Girardeau County Commission Thursday. They will visit communities that have the system, called an 800-megahertz trunk radio system, to see if it would be a good investment here.

The committee will discuss the feasibility of centralizing dispatching duties for Cape Girardeau and Jackson police and fire departments, the county sheriff's office and rural fire departments.

"The committee is supposed to investigate both and see if they are worthwhile and if the timing is right," said Max Stovall, county associate commissioner.

Some space is expected to be available when an addition to the county jail is completed. "It would be a wonderful location to combine dispatching for all the entities in the county," Stovall said.

He expects a preliminary report from the committee in 30 to 45 days.

The 800-MHz trunk radio system can bring together radio dispatching of many agencies. It also can ease communications between departments.

"But it's not necessarily right for every community," said Rick Hetzel, Cape Girardeau police chief.

Changing to 800-MHz trunk system would cost an estimated $750,000 for equipment alone in Cape Girardeau County.

David Hitt, director of emergency management for the county, explained that current dispatching in the county works well. "Could it work better is the big question," Hitt said.

Another question is the current reliability and effectiveness of communications in emergencies, he said. At the present time, agencies on different frequencies are unable to talk to each other by radio.

Hetzel said, "The advantage is bringing together agencies like police and fire with emergency management and public works and parks."

The system has an added security benefit in that transmissions are harder to monitor with traditional police scanners, he said.

"We have to look at the positive and the negative of a new system, weigh the options and see what we think is best for the whole county," Hitt said.

Hetzel and Hitt said that in Kansas City a similar system was installed with disastrous results: It didn't work as promised. By contrast, the 800-MHz trunk system in Oklahoma City, Okla., was the only communications system that did work following the bombing of the federal building there, they said.

"We will be contacting jurisdictions with similar demographics to Cape Girardeau to see what their experiences have been," Hetzel said.

In addition to Hitt and Hetzel, members of the study committee are:

Dan White, Cape Girardeau fire chief.

Marvin Sides, Jackson police chief.

Brad Golden, Jackson fire chief.

John Jordan, Cape Girardeau County sheriff.

Marty Schuessler, rural fire departments representative.

Richard Knaup, chairman of the county 911 board.

John Sachen, rural fire department representative.

Martha Vandivort, Cape Girardeau County emergency management.