NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — The job that our first responders do is critical and North Olmsted residents said a decision involving the people who dispatch them is just as important.
“It’s not a topic that should be rushed, it needs to be researched, options need to be sought,” said Mark Madden.
Mayor Nicole Dailey Jones said a committee spent five months drafting a plan to transition its emergency dispatch from North Olmsted to a regional service with the Chagrin Valley Dispatch, confirming the facility would be in Cleveland Heights and far more cost-efficient for North Olmsted.
“The threat of both the state and the county starting to withhold funding from communities who are not part of regional dispatch made us realize we need to study this issue and figure out what makes the most sense for North Olmsted residents,” said Jones.
But Sharon Jeziorski who says she’s a former dispatcher doesn’t believe this transition is worth the risk.
“Is the police station going to be unmanned when there’s no officer at the station, that’s a concern for me,” said Jeziorski. “If someone is having an emergency and walk into the station, who is going to be taking on those jobs that the dispatchers have currently been doing?”
Jones said all the city’s dispatchers would be offered positions at the new regional facility with better pay and benefits, adding that council is still combing through the plan and expects to vote next month with the safety of residents in mind.
“You can certainly understand why people might be uncomfortable with that but ultimately we need to make decisions that look to the future of our community too,” said Jones.
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