 ISP currently houses 20 communications centers, and the improved
plan will consolidate those to four. The selected centers --
Chicago, Springfield, DuQuoin and Sterling -- are newer centers and
have been selected as sites capable of handling ISP traffic from
neighboring districts across the state.Phase one of the plan
includes consolidating the Effingham, Carmi and Ullin centers into
DuQuoin, but does not include Collinsville or Litchfield.
State police officials have maintained that no pubic safety will
be compromised and citizens will continue to receive the same level
of public safety service. The plan also enhances public safety for
officers with newer technology and greater flexibility.
"More than ever, law enforcement agencies across the country are
being challenged to do more with less and must also consider the
safety of their officers and the citizens they serve," said ISP
Director Hiram Grau. "This plan will add greater technology and
efficiency to our overall public safety mission by providing
real-time information to dispatch operations," he stressed.
Officials also distinguished state police communications centers
from local 911 emergency operations centers. State police
communications centers are separate from local police agencies, and
there will be no effect on local agencies' 911 emergency operations.
ISP will be able to locate its sworn officers in real time when
pending calls for service are dispatched. In addition to ISP's
Starcom21 radio network, dispatching and communications capability
will be greatly improved with GPS technology that can pinpoint the
location of an officer.
Response times will be improved even further with the "closest
car concept." State police telecommunicators will be able to
pinpoint an officer's location through GPS, directing the officer
who is closest to the call.
Citizens will continue to receive the same level of public safety
service.
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Regardless of their location, telecommunicators will continue to
have the same access to investigative information, including parolee
information, via the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System.
Officials stress that there is no correlation between the
location of a communications center and crime, and they are
committed to working with area police chiefs and public safety
officials to address their concerns.
"The challenges of crime that we face together with ISP in the
Metro East are unique, and so are the state's budget problems," said
St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly. "I'm confident we
can work with the state to address the concerns that have been
raised in a smart way that improves public safety," he added.
A sampling of total daily calls for
service from area consolidation centers:
-
Collinsville, 349,
an average of 14 calls per hour
-
Effingham, 107, an
average of four calls per hour
-
DuQuoin, 179, an
average of seven calls per hour
-
Litchfield, 13, an average of less than
one call per hour
The Illinois State Police agency is committed to providing
quality service to the citizens of Illinois, and the proposed
consolidation plan illustrates the everyday commitment of state
police to fighting crime and making communities safer.
[Text from file received from
Illinois State Police] |
