Modesto just got millions in federal funds for a new 911 call center. But will it happen?
The Modesto Police Department recently announced that $3.53 million in federal funds had been secured for its 911 Call Center Project. However, a dedicated Modesto 911 call center might not even come to exist, according to officials.
For a decade, MPD and the city of Modesto advocated for the creation of a new 911 dispatch center dedicated to taking calls specifically for Modesto.
The check that Rep. John Duarte, R-Turlock, presented to the City Council and MPD Chief Brandon Gillespie was stated as being for “the creation of dedicated dispatch services specifically for the residents of Modesto that has created the need for the 9-1-1 Call Center Project,” according to Duarte’s website.
However, on Wednesday, Gillespie and Stanislaus County Supervisor Buck Condit said negotiations between the county and the city were improving and a dedicated Modesto 911 call center might not happen. Also, the details on how the federal money may be spent still are unclear, Gillespie said.
“With the murkiness, I think there’s two parallel paths: no one should assume just because we’ve got $3.5 million for this call center, that that in and of itself means we’re not staying together,” Gillespie said of Modesto’s participation in Stanislaus Regional 911, which was formed through a 1999 joint powers agreement between the city and the county. “But I think it just supports how important it is for us to make sure we have an investment in the right public safety center, whatever that looks like.”
In 2014, in response to complaints from the public and police officers, then-Police Chief Galen Carroll commissioned a report that heavily criticized the efficiency and cost of Stanislaus Regional 911.
The report found Stanislaus Regional 911 had ineffective leadership, demoralized staff and uncontrolled employee costs. However, county leaders criticized the study as biased, inflammatory and inaccurate, The Modesto Bee previously reported.
MPD could not sever its ties with the regional center until 2019, due to the JPA. In 2021, City Council members voted 6-1 to serve Stanislaus Regional 911 with a written notice of an intent to terminate its relationship and begin searching for alternative options, which was effective Jan. 1 of this year.
Condit echoed Gillespie and said the city was “probably still finding out what they can use that money for.”
He added, “I can just tell you from the county perspective that there were some relationship issues that we needed to work on, as far as the JPA is concerned. The county and the city have been working well together and solving those issues and problems.”
Gillespie did say MPD’s priority was using the money to develop a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system for its real-time crime center. He elaborated and said whether or not the city gets a dedicated 911 call center, the main focus for using the federal funds is to update a system he described as being “extremely old” and becoming “more and more unreliable.”
“We all recognize we need a new CAD system. I think whether we do our own call center or not, or how that shakes up, is still to be determined and we’re still working out the details of what that looks like,” the chief said. “But I think the CAD system is the priority and we can do that without having final details on ... whether we’re (staying) together.”
The federal money also could be spent on “emerging technologies that will improve public safety, enhance crime prevention,” according to Duarte’s website.
Whether Modesto decides to create its own 911 call center or integrate its new systems into Stanislaus Regional 911, both will continue to face the challenges that already exist, including staffing, costs, efficiency and the implementation of the 988 Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Crisis Lifeline and additional mental health resources.
“In the end, they might find out that what we have at Regional 911, the JPA, is a pretty good deal,” Condit said in 2021.
Stanislaus Regional 911 is a joint powers agency with oversight from a seven-member commission. The dispatchers are county employees. The center handles emergency dispatching for more than 20 law enforcement and fire agencies in the county.
