Dispatch Center Unveils Expansion and Enhanced Services

Photo Credit: Ripon Police Facebook Page.

In October 2021, a milestone was achieved when the City of Ripon entered into a Dispatch Services Agreement with the City of Lathrop. This partnership allowed for round-the-clock police dispatching services, including after-hour records management. At that point, the dispatch center was already catering to the needs of Ripon and Escalon.

Following this collaboration, the dispatch center took on the challenge of doubling its workforce from 6 to 12 professional dispatchers to ensure optimal shift coverage and address the increased volume of telephone and radio communications. Since December 1, 2021, seasoned Lead Dispatchers Gail Fry and Macy Joseph-Green have diligently trained 10 candidates, out of which 6 successfully completed the program. As it stands today, all vacant positions have been filled, and the dispatch center boasts a fully-staffed team of 12 dedicated dispatchers.

To keep pace with the expanding communications center, state-of-the-art dispatching consoles were acquired, increasing workstations from 4 to an impressive 6. The driving force behind this revamp was to augment operational capacity, mitigate noise disturbances from multiple phone calls and radio traffic, supervise two distinct radio channels effectively, and lay a solid foundation for accommodating future staff growth.

Mark your calendars for the department's open house in July when the public will be granted an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the up-to-date Dispatch Center.