Saratoga Officials Set Meeting To Discuss Law Enforcement Dispatch

April 24, 2024 |

Photo – Rawlins Police Department Dispatch Center – Bigfoot99 file photo

Saratoga officials have scheduled a public meeting to talk about the possibility of combining the town’s emergency dispatch services with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office.

At 5:30pm on May 13^th in the Platte Valley Community Center, Saratoga will hold a public workshop to discuss dispatch services.

Last November, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris told the town council that he lacked enough dispatchers to run a 24-hour emergency call center.

The Saratoga Police Department’s dispatch center also takes emergency calls from Encampment and the surrounding region.

To ensure the town can continue to provide emergency dispatch services for the Platte Valley, Chief Morris created a Memorandum of Understanding with the sheriff’s department. The MOU had sheriff’s dispatchers temporarily staff Saratoga’s call center in exchange for payment from the town.

While the MOU was in effect, both Chief Morris and Sheriff Alex Bakken discovered that permanently combining both the town and county dispatch centers may be the most cost-effective strategy. At the March 19^th Saratoga town council meeting, Chief Morris said Sheriff Bakken was investigating how to efficiently bring the two call centers together.

Sheriff Bakken has been speaking to Wyoming counties that already field a combined dispatch center, such as Sweetwater and Albany Counties. Speaking at a March 13^th meeting with the Rawlins city council, Sheriff Bakken said he believes that a single call center, controlled by a joint powers board, is the way to go for Carbon County.

Later in the March 13^th meeting, Sheriff Bakken said a combined dispatch center with the Saratoga Police Department is close to happening. The sheriff invited the Rawlins Police Department to join as well.

Sheriff Bakken’s comments appear at odds with what Saratoga officials are saying. During the March 19^th Saratoga town council meeting, Mayor Chuck Davis, Councilwoman Kathy Beck, and Chief Morris said the town must gather more information before making a decision.

The Saratoga town council decided that a public workshop is needed. The meeting will inform residents of why the town is considering a combined dispatch center with the sheriff’s department and discuss the pros and cons of the project.

The public workshop for dispatch services is on Monday, May 13^th at 5:30pm in the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga. The meeting will not be broadcast online.