CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Police Department’s dispatch center made the 5.5-mile move from its former P.J. Adams Parkway location so smoothly that the public never knew it happened.
“There was never an interruption in service,” Police Chief Tony Taylor said.
With just a few minor tweaks remaining, including completing a public service window, the reunion of dispatch with the rest of the department is nearly complete.
Taylor announced the move during the June 23 Crestview City Council meeting, saying then it would cost around $43,000 to transfer furniture, equipment and communication services.
That estimate was about $12,000 less than the amount reserved for the move in the department’s 2013-14 budget.
However, after the move was complete and 911 service transferred, Taylor said by using inmate and Public Services labor, the move will actually cost about half the $61,000 budgeted amount.
“Public Services have been phenomenal on this project,” Taylor said. “They jumped all over it.”
Okaloosa County Emergency Management officials updated the police department’s 911 software to new federal standards. County workers also moved the dispatch center’s equipment.
The center’s new home is a spacious room next to the police department’s front office. A large security window will provide after-hours service for residents seeking police assistance.
Most importantly, the move brings all police services together in one facility, Taylor said.
“One of the goals was to get everybody back together on a personal level and to interact with the public on a personal level,” Taylor said. “Those two things are extremely important.”
Police dispatchers said moving to the department’s Whitehurst Municipal Building headquarters makes them feel more connected and part of a team.
“I like being able to see the police officers and talk to them,” dispatcher Donna Barbera said between calls Wednesday evening. “It feels more like a family now.”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Dispatch center reunites with rest of Crestview Police Department