Emergency dispatch center to open in Mid-Valley

WESLACO - The Mid-Valley is set to open a regional dispatch center next year.

Proponents say the move will improve emergency responders' ability to coordinate their efforts.

Weslaco, Mercedes and Donna leaders have all approved the plan to employ their emergency dispatchers in one location, most likely in Weslaco.

The regional office is expected to open in about a year and could expand to include dispatchers for Edcouch, Elsa, Progreso, La Villa, Monte Alto and the Precinct 1 constable's office, said George Garrett, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Weslaco and Donna.

"I think it's going to be worthwhile and much more efficient," Garrett said. "It's going to give the community better service."

Sketchy details

Garrett said the central facility will help cities reduce "communications lag time."

When people in Mid-Valley cities call 911 now, they're connected to a dispatcher, who then relays the information to emergency responders in the field. That creates problems, as dispatchers have to juggle between taking calls and talking to police and firefighters.

Under the new system, 911 calls would go to designated call-takers, who then relay the information to dispatchers. Garrett said that's a better system because it allows dispatchers uninterrupted communication with firefighters and police officers.

But Mercedes Police Chief Olga Maldonado said details of the program still need to be hammered out.

"We haven't really even sat down to discuss how it's going to change our department," Maldonado said. "We've never had the opportunity to see how it's going to work or how it's going to benefit."

First in the state?

Garrett said he believes this will be the state's first "true, regional dispatch facility." It has been in the works for about five years and is modeled on a similar system that serves municipalities south of Los Angeles.

Garrett also said the system will improve inter-department communication, as dispatchers will soon be able to simulcast their instructions to all three cities' police departments. Currently, dispatchers have to call neighboring cities, or in the case of rural areas the sheriff's department, if they want to alert to a situation like a police pursuit coming their way.

San Juan police spokesman Investigator Rolando Garcia said dispatchers for the cities of Pharr, San Juan and Alamo were regionalized about 20 years ago, but disbanded when the city of Pharr began to outgrow the tri-city area.

Regionalizing the cities' dispatchers now that Alamo and San Juan are larger would make sense, he said. But there are no talks to do so.

La Joya police spokesman Officer Joe Cantu said no talk has come up in western Hidalgo County either, though several tiny departments operate in that area - from Sullivan City to Palmview.

Pay raises?

Maldonado, as well as Donna Police Chief Ruben "Ram" De Leon, said they both wonder what effect moving dispatchers out of the police departments will have on interactions with the public.

When people call or walk into police departments to report crimes, they usually speak with dispatchers.

De Leon said his department rarely engages in pursuits, and the Mid-Valley police departments already have strong communication. But he still thinks the center is a good idea because it will allow the agencies to pool their resources and possibly provide better pay to dispatchers.

Currently, Donna employs six dispatchers who earn starting salaries of $9 to $10 per hour. The new facility will employ 25 to 30 employees to work as call-takers and dispatchers for different cities, Garrett said, and likely at a higher pay rate.

"It's a very difficult job to perform," De Leon said. "They've got to multi-task. They don't get compensated nearly enough."

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Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.