Ashby selectmen cooling on 911 outsourcing proposalBy Crystal Bozek
ASHBY -- Selectmen are beginning to look at regionalizing the emergency dispatch 911 as possibly bringing more problems than benefits to the town.
Members had asked police officials to study how the department might cut its midnight-to-8 a.m. dispatcher shift, suggesting that regionalization could save the town some money.
"I think we may want to abandon this idea," Town Administrator Linda Sanders said. "If we do 911 outsourcing, we could lose it all."
Town officials heard the town couldn't just terminate the 911 service without paying to have all the equipment removed.
Selectman Gerard Houle said officials have said, "We're not the gas company. We don't turn (the 911 service) off and on."
Sanders said she was more concerned at losing the department's hard-earned certifications.
While Sanders emphasized the Police Department was still analyzing the financial implications, she added: "I'm not sure you're gonna want to go there (when the study is complete)."
The Ashby station currently operates 24-hour communications service.
Selectmen also approved a mutual aid agreement between the Police Department and New Ipswich, N.H., police.
Mutual aid -- the practice of dispatching officers to other towns in times of need -- would let either department request help if its officers couldn't get to an incident or needed help. The New Ipswich officers would have all the authority of a regular town officer, including the ability to make arrests, and vice versa.
Acting Chief Steven McLatchy said the department is also looking into a mutual aid agreement with Mason, N.H.
"This makes it a lot easier to back someone up at a scene," McLatchy said. "We've previously been limited. ... But the communities have always been able to help each other out" even without an agreement, he said.
Legislation formally came in at the end of October enabling officers in Massachusetts to practice mutual aid with bordering New Hampshire towns. While officers could cross state lines before, they didn't have their full police powers.
In other business:
The Police Department received a $12,000 non-matching community policing grant this month from the Executive Office of Public Safety. The grants must be used to initiate new programs.
ASHBY -- Selectmen are beginning to look at regionalizing the emergency dispatch 911 as possibly bringing more problems than benefits to the town.
Members had asked police officials to study how the department might cut its midnight-to-8 a.m. dispatcher shift, suggesting that regionalization could save the town some money.
"I think we may want to abandon this idea," Town Administrator Linda Sanders said. "If we do 911 outsourcing, we could lose it all."
Town officials heard the town couldn't just terminate the 911 service without paying to have all the equipment removed.
Selectman Gerard Houle said officials have said, "We're not the gas company. We don't turn (the 911 service) off and on."
Sanders said she was more concerned at losing the department's hard-earned certifications.
While Sanders emphasized the Police Department was still analyzing the financial implications, she added: "I'm not sure you're gonna want to go there (when the study is complete)."
The Ashby station currently operates 24-hour communications service.
Selectmen also approved a mutual aid agreement between the Police Department and New Ipswich, N.H., police.
Mutual aid -- the practice of dispatching officers to other towns in times of need -- would let either department request help if its officers couldn't get to an incident or needed help. The New Ipswich officers would have all the authority of a regular town officer, including the ability to make arrests, and vice versa.
Acting Chief Steven McLatchy said the department is also looking into a mutual aid agreement with Mason, N.H.
"This makes it a lot easier to back someone up at a scene," McLatchy said. "We've previously been limited. ... But the communities have always been able to help each other out" even without an agreement, he said.
Legislation formally came in at the end of October enabling officers in Massachusetts to practice mutual aid with bordering New Hampshire towns. While officers could cross state lines before, they didn't have their full police powers.
In other business:
The Police Department received a $12,000 non-matching community policing grant this month from the Executive Office of Public Safety. The grants must be used to initiate new programs.