SNOW HILL– The county will assist Pocomoke with overnight emergency dispatch following a decision by officials this week.
The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday agreed to grant a request for emergency dispatch assistance from the Pocomoke City Police Department. The county will now provide overnight dispatch services for the municipality.
“We are not immune from the staffing crisis that faces dispatch nationwide however the midnight to 8 a.m. period is the absolute slowest period for us,” said James Hamilton, the county’s deputy director of emergency services. “This specific piece we do not think would have a significant impact on our operations because of existing call volume during those periods.”
Hamilton told the commissioners on Tuesday that Pocomoke police had asked his department if the county could have its 911 center provide dispatch operations for them from midnight to 8 a.m.
“From their standpoint they’re having an extremely difficult time recruiting people for that position,” Hamilton said. “We see that as a nationwide issue as well. In public safety and especially in dispatch positions, recruiting into these positions is extremely difficult and there’s very high attrition in these positions.”
He said that because the request was limited to the overnight hours and because Pocomoke officials estimated about two calls for service and two traffic stops during that time period, he felt granting the request wouldn’t have a significant impact on the workload at the county’s 911 center.
“We do believe we could meet this if tasked to do so,” he said.
HE added that the county had been providing 24/7 dispatch service to the Town of Snow Hill for at least the past decade.
The commissioners voted 6-0 to grant the request.
