May 9, 2023 |
Photo – Dispatch Console – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office has donated its old dispatch consoles to the Saratoga Police Department.
A dispatch console is a computer terminal that handles phone calls, radio traffic, location tracking, and everything else needed to communicate during an emergency. As part of the Carbon County Courthouse Remodel project, the Sheriff’s Office has gotten new consoles. Since dispatch consoles can cost between $9,000 and $20,000, the Saratoga Police Department has asked the Sheriff’s Office for their hand-me-down computers.
At last week’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners Meeting, Sheriff Alex Bakken presented a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, between the Sheriff’s Office and the Saratoga PD. Sheriff Bakken explained the document to the board.
The board unanimously voted to approve the MOU.
Sheriff Bakken appeared at last Tuesday’s Saratoga Town Council meeting. The Sheriff updated the council members about what he’s been working on since being elected to the position. Sheriff Bakken told the council that Chief Mike Morris had requested the old dispatching equipment.
After he learned about the county’s new dispatch consoles, Chief Morris said he asked to have the old computers. The chief said the Saratoga Police Department uses the same type of workstation. Chief Morris said his department’s dispatch consoles have experienced maintenance issues and the secondhand equipment would be used to keep his department’s consoles in working order.
Chief Morris didn’t have the necessary funding in his budget to purchase brand new computers. The chief explained to the town council how the Sheriff drafted an MOU allowing the Saratoga Police Department to have the dispatch consoles for practically nothing.
Chief Morris said Sergeant Tyler Christen already brought most of the equipment to Saratoga. The chief said because he was given two dispatch consoles, he could keep one in the police station and place the other in an alternative location. Chief Morris said his department could maintain communication if something catastrophic happened to the station.
Despite the computers being past their operational lifespan, Chief Morris said he will make the most of them until he is able to find money in the town’s budget for new equipment.
