Bloomingdale to consolidate 911 dispatch, layoffs expected
Bloomingdale trustees voted Monday to consolidate the village’s 911 services with the Addison Police Department, saying it will save up to $230,000 a year.
But about two dozen residents also voiced concerns about the safety of citizens and officers, especially worrying that new dispatchers won’t be familiar with the layout of the village during an emergency.
Those were the same concerns voiced since the village began exploring consolidation options several months ago, so officials agreed to gather more input while simultaneously giving the go-ahead to start consolidation negotiations.
The change jeopardizes the jobs of six full-time dispatchers, a full-time supervisor, and a part-time dispatcher, although police Chief Frank Giammarese said it is still unclear how many layoffs will be necessary.
“(Layoffs) are the most unfortunate thing,” Giammarese said. “We are hoping some of our workers have the opportunity to get hired by Addison, that would be one of our goals. But the village must do what it has to in these difficult times.”
Giammarese said Bloomingdale may absorb one or two positions within the department for other duties. He recommended the department initially remain open 24 hours a day, possibly with a police aid, as the transition to Addison dispatch goes into effect.
“It’s going to be such a major transition for us, and my goal is the service of our public and the safety of our officers,” Giammarese said. “I’d like to, for at least a period of time, have someone at the station at all hours to handle overnight parking concerns, monitor cameras and do internal work.”
Like many other towns, Bloomingdale is grappling with a budget crunch due to falling sales taxes and flat property tax revenues, as well as late payments from the state. The village already has canceled festivals, offered early retirement packages and left open positions vacant, but officials said more cuts are needed.
Initially, Bloomingdale explored consolidating emergency dispatch with DU-COMM, also called DuPage Public Safety Communications. The regional service based in Glendale Heights handles 911 calls for about 30 municipalities in DuPage County, as well as parts of Cook and Kane.
Village Manager Martin Bourke and Giammarese both said DU-COMM does good work, but officials chose Addison because they felt it would give Bloomingdale the most individual attention. Addison handles its own dispatch, dispatch for Bensenville and will now handle about 15,000 calls a year from Bloomingdale, which includes those initiated by police offers for traffic stops and other incidents.
Giammarese said both police departments aim to work hard on the transition so residents don’t notice changes when they call 911.
“The hope is you should not really notice anything different,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of training and a lot of legwork to get them on board and familiar with the landmarks and unique aspects of our community. But that’s the goal: to provide the ultimate service for the community.”
In July 2009, Roselle opted to consolidate its 911 services with DU-COMM for a savings of $250,000 a year, affecting a staff of eight telecommunicators. Itasca also considered consolidating with DU-COMM to save $120,00 a year, as well as consolidating with Addison for a $245,000 annual savings, in early 2010. But village officials were met with more than two hours of resident protests and no changes were made.