Republicans Cry Out for More Taxes

partisanship above policy (0.00 / 0)

I think you are elevating partisanship above policy and good government, and doing so to make a cheap political point.

"Consolidation" is no panacea.

While I oppose home rule on many issues (i.e. land use adn envrionment), home rule is appropriate for many things, primarily services that are primarily  local in nature.

Emergency response certainly fits that criteria.

Taxpayer willingness to pay for services and the ability to make the connection between service levels and taxes is a good thing.

So is avoidance of knee jerk anti-tax sentiment.

Medord residents should be applauded for this.

But instead, becasue they are republicans, you criticize them and it seems only to make a cheap partisan point and shot a Chrisitie.

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by: Winston Smith @ Sat Oct 16, 2010 at 18:14:52 PM UTC

Policy above Partisanship (0.00 / 0)

Yes, I'll admit I'm partisan.  In general, I believe that Republicans do a poorer job for the people than Democrats (with some exceptions), and Republicans (at least at the state and national level) do a better job of kowtowing to their corporate sponsors.  But if you read my blog, you'll find that I criticize Democrats as much as I do Republicans.

I agree that consolidation and sharing of services is not a panacea, but is also an opportunity-rich environment.  If it weren't, you wouldn't see big business embracing consolidation to the point where we now have near-monopolies in several key areas (ever heard of "too big to fail"?)

Specifically, I'd like to hear your justification for disconsolidation of emergency services.  I recently went to a Burlington County police expo, where every town and hamlet displayed their own $250,000 hazmat response vehicle.  It seems that strategically placing a few of these vehicles around the county would be just as effective.  A similar argument can be made for police and fire dispatch.

The bottom line is that the reluctance to consolidate is an impediment to doing impartial tradeoffs to find better ways to save the taxpayer's money.

Blog: http://www.deciminyan.org

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by: deciminyan @ Sat Oct 16, 2010 at 19:56:01 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

an somewhat of an expert on the topic... (0.00 / 0)

I'm not from Burlington County, but this is what I do for a living.  Central communications works as long as the people running the agency put operations ahead of politics.  While I have no problem with hiring people who are politically connected, Burlington County Central needs to make sure they hire people who have half a brain.

I don't know which computer aided dispatch (CAD) system they use in Burlington, but I can almost guarantee you that every street name and business/common place will be in the County's computer system by January 1.

I work at a central 911 center.  One room answers 911 calls and determines whether it is a fire/ems/police emergency.  If it is a fire/ems emergency, they dispatch from that room.  If it is a police emergency, they transfer it to the police dispatch room and those dispatchers handle it from there.

I work in the police room.  On any given night, I can dispatch for any of the towns in my county, but I mainly work with the largest, busiest police department.  If you want the honest truth, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've driven through that town.

You would think I would be at a disadvantage in my job as a dispatcher.  I am able to do a good job because I have been working with that town consistently, I have an updated/maintained CAD system, and I have a sufficient map.

I do suggest that Burlington County dispatchers do ride-alongs with Medford police.  I also suggest they talk to the cops and get them to use the same terminology and communications standards that the county already uses.

I know there's more I should cover in this topic, but I just got done my brother's house warming party.  If there's any other questions I can answer, I'd be happy to do so.

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by: southernbluedog @ Sun Oct 17, 2010 at 05:35:04 AM UTC

good discussion (0.00 / 0)

So what is your bottom line?

Was Medford's move unjustified?

Can Burlco provide equal or better service at lower cost?

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by: Winston Smith @ Sun Oct 17, 2010 at 14:33:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yes (0.00 / 0)

According to published newspaper reports, the savings will be between $35 and $70 per person by going to consolidated dispatch.  And the service will be better because the county has newer technology to geolocate cell phone calls.

Blog: http://www.deciminyan.org

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by: deciminyan @ Sun Oct 17, 2010 at 14:47:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

my bottom line (0.00 / 0)

I don't know the quality of dispatchers in Burlington County, but if it's anything like my place, the quality of service should be the same if not better.  

Dispatching is a very stressful job, but once a dispatcher becomes properly trained and gets some experience, most of what they do from day to day becomes routine.  I'm sure Burlington County dispatchers are qualified to ask for a location, a nature of incident, and the caller's name and number.  I'm also sure they are qualified to enter said information into the computer and dispatch the appropriate resources to handle the situation.

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by: southernbluedog @ Mon Oct 18, 2010 at 06:07:28 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Burlington County (0.00 / 0)

is probably the best example of a county wide dispatch center in the state.  It really should be used as an example for others to follow.

"Only a fool would follow a bully"

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by: brendanod @ Mon Oct 18, 2010 at 12:40:06 PM UTC