NY State town fires all 4 PD dispatchers suddenly, without warning to save $300K

[Guest guest]

From the Middletown NY Times Herald Record:

 

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111203/NEWS/112030326/-\

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 Rich Dean, , New Jersey USA 07405

Member of FD since 1973, Telecommunicator at PD on 8757 shifts

1975 - 2009, Secretary of North Jersey Volunteer Firemen's Association since

1980; Driver at Tri-Boro First Aid Squad since 2000, Life Member of NJ State

Firemen's Association, Enterprise Rent A Car Customer Service Driver since Dec

2010, Railfan and Roadgeek since birth.

 OMG (ask me privately what this means, it might not be what you think)

Fallsburg fires all four of its police dispatchers

By Leonard Sparks

Times Herald-Record

Published: 2:00 AM - 12/03/11

FALLSBURG — Fallsburg fired its four civilian police dispatchers Wednesday, a

move that blindsided dispatchers and union representatives, but which Supervisor

Steve Vegliante said will save more than $300,000.

Police Chief Simmie delivered the news during an 8:30 a.m. meeting,

said fired dispatcher Gibson. He and the other three dispatchers were

then told to turn in their IDs and badges, said Gibson, who celebrated his

25-year anniversary on the job last month.

" We were like, you've got to be kidding, " he said. " Right now I'm still in a

haze, because it just turned my world inside out. "

The abrupt firings came after months of discussion and an overture to the county

about assuming the town's dispatch duties, which will now by shared by officers,

Vegliante said.

The dismissals partly reflect a changing role for the town's dispatchers, he

said. Dispatchers once ran license-plate inquiries and filed criminal complaints

and accident reports, tasks computers have enabled officers to do, Vegliante

said.

" It got to the point where the only thing (dispatchers) had to do was answer the

phone, " he said.

He predicts the town will be able to use the savings to hire at least one

additional police officer and maybe two. The fired dispatchers will also be

given priority consideration for future openings, he said.

" It's a lousy decision and not a fun thing to do, " Vegliante said. " But it's the

best thing to do, not just from a fiscal standpoint but from a safety

standpoint. "

n Pavese, a Fallsburg detective and president of the PBA, said he was just

as shocked by the firings as the dispatchers, and is negotiating a severance

package expected to include December's salary and health insurance through

January.

The union contacted its attorney and the state's Civil Service Department. It

was told the town followed proper procedures, he said. Pavese also said the loss

of the dispatchers would not affect the number of officers on patrol.

" We're going to do everything to serve and protect the public, " he said.

Gibson is preparing to file for unemployment benefits. He has been calling local

companies about possible job openings. Their responses confirm what he already

knows: it's the wrong economy and wrong season for quickly finding work.

" I know that in the wintertime in Sullivan County, the job market is nil, " said

Gibson. " The only other option is to look outside the county, and if you got to

look outside the county, what's the anchor to stay here? "