BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — Multiple police and fire agencies in northern Utah are set to make a controversial move that will split dispatch centers in the area, putting residents and officers at risk, according to one agency.
On February 2, Brigham City, Perry, Tremonton and Garland police and fire departments, among others, will switch from the Box Elder Communications Center to the Weber Area Dispatch 911.
Dispatch centers act as the first line of action during emergencies, receiving 911 and emergency calls from those who need immediate help.
"I don’t feel like it’s going to work very well,” said Tremonton resident Miranda Smith. “I don’t think they’re going to be fast enough, I think Box Elder needs to have their own and not have to go through Weber.”
In a statement earlier this week, Box Elder County Sheriff Kevin Potter shared his feeling about the agencies leaving the county dispatch center.
“I am a firm believer in community, and an essential part of that is 'unity in communications.' When we are divided by different communication centers and separate radio channels, we are not a unified force," he wrote. "Splitting our focus and our frequencies puts the safety of our citizens and our officers at risk.”
The sheriff’s office will be staying with Box Elder dispatch.
Potter refuted rumors that dispatchers were responsible for what led to the deaths of two Tremonton-Garland police officers while in the line of duty in August. However, Potter did outline scenarios where he believed breaks in communication were catastrophic.
“Proper procedure requires us to evolve our local communication center based on documented evidence and past experiences, rather than personal opinions and rumors," he claimed.
Brigham City Police Chief Chad Reyes shared why his department is making the switch, which he says has been years in the making and will not slow things down when it comes to emergency response.
"There's not going to be a delay in response time, there’s not going to be an inability to communicate with deputies with Box Elder County or officers from agencies that aren’t making the switch,” said Reyes.
In fact, Reyes hopes residents see quicker response times and officers equipped with more information before heading to a scene. The chief also wants dispatchers to run phone numbers and address history and then pass that along to officers.
"Since we announced our switch to Weber, there has been a noticeable effort to make some advancements and improvements,” said Reyes. “It’s not good enough. In my assessment, no matter what Box Elder Communications Center does to improve and advance their policies and procedures, they’re never going to match the capacity that’s available to us at Weber dispatch center."
Reyes said manpower is a big reason for the move, putting out that the Box Elder Communications Center is staffed by two dispatchers at minimum times, while Weber has 13 dispatchers.
Weber Area 911 expects the switchover to be a smooth process in which residents will never be in danger of losing emergency coverage.
"We’ve added staff and prepared for the increased call volume so we’re ready for the transition," said Kevin Rose, Director of Weber Area 912. "We appreciate the Utah Department of Public Safety’s partnership and their work with us to make this a smooth process. Our focus remains simple: answering the call and helping people when they need us most.”
According to Reyes, officers are still able to communicate, even if on separate channels, and dispatch centers across the state share information. Reyes said it will be more expensive for the Brigham City Police Department to use Weber Area 911 over Box Elder Communications, by about $90,000.
