OSP - Regional Dispatch....

[SLWilson]

Anyone know the "firm" date of the Ohio State Highway Patrol abandoning their dispatch at the "local" patrol posts?

As we understand it, each district post throughout the state will be handling ALL the trooper's traffic in their respective district shortly after the 1st of the year.

I know that they've been swapping various posts dispatching if someone is off or calls in sick. Our post (Gallipolis) sometimes covers Athens or Lawrence. That has been going on for a while now.

Sometimes Jackson or Athens covers for the Gallipolis post....

I just wonder if they have "completely" thought that thru.....

The dispatchers currently employeed at our post will have to drive to district (Jackson) every day to cover their shift....

Just wondering what everyone elses is hearing....

Steve/KB8FAR

 

[hoser147]

Steve that indeed is what is going on. Lima Post 2 was combined with Van Wert 81 a couple of months ago, just read in the local paper that Post 6 at Wapakoneta is losing theirs also to Piqua dist office, those dispatchers at Wapakoneta will have to commute to Piqua to do their job. The Troopers are still working out of their respective post and as far as Ive read there is going to be someone at the posts during regular business hours. Looks as if they are doing it one post at a time. As far as them thinking thru it , I dont know. Wapakoneta post isnt even that old to basically make them Outposts doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to me.

 

[n8dhw]

Steve that indeed is what is going on. Lima Post 2 was combined with Van Wert 81 a couple of months ago, just read in the local paper that Post 6 at Wapakoneta is losing theirs also to Piqua dist office, those dispatchers at Wapakoneta will have to commute to Piqua to do their job. The Troopers are still working out of their respective post and as far as Ive read there is going to be someone at the posts during regular business hours. Looks as if they are doing it one post at a time. As far as them thinking thru it , I dont know. Wapakoneta post isnt even that old to basically make them Outposts doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to me.

It has already happened over here in the Southwestern part of the state. Post 9 Hamilton dispatchers were moved to Post 83 Lebanon while Post 8 Georgetown dispatchers were moved to Post 13 Batavia. And Post 29 Xenia dispatchers were moved to District 8 in Wilmington.

 

[wa8pyr]

Anyone know the "firm" date of the Ohio State Highway Patrol abandoning their dispatch at the "local" patrol posts?

As we understand it, each district post throughout the state will be handling ALL the trooper's traffic in their respective district shortly after the 1st of the year.

I know that they've been swapping various posts dispatching if someone is off or calls in sick. Our post (Gallipolis) sometimes covers Athens or Lawrence. That has been going on for a while now.

Last info I got was that they were not regionalizing per se, but instead were consolidating two-into-one. I have to wonder exactly where the savings are in that, since they're not laying anyone off, just moving them to different locations. And as a dispatcher I would be pretty honked off since I might now have to drive at least 30 or 40 miles, one way, often in nasty weather, to get to work.

The original plan when MARCS was first designed was for there to be three regional dispatch centers for OSP; one in Cambridge or Zanesville (or thereabouts), one in Columbus, and one in Dayton. That idea led to an outcry as citizens and troopers alike wanted to keep them at the posts, so the idea was shelved. Looks like they're starting to move that way again.

Just as a note of interest, the Columbus comm center has at least 3 or 4 more dispatcher positions sitting there empty, equipped and ready to go...

It wouldn't surprise me to see them eventually consolidate everything, at least at the district level. That would be pretty costly since relocating a Centracom Gold Elite console is no laughing matter, so no telling if or when it will happen. However, I think it's more likely now than ever since the state legislature has (last I heard) for some reason declined to continue the $0.32 cell phone charge to fund wireless 911 phase 2. Adding that capability to the posts if they don't already have it would be expensive, and if you could do it at one center instead of 6 or 7, or 20, you would save a considerable sum of money.

If OSP has been using that income to pay for dispatchers instead of upgrading (as some rural counties have been doing), look for the layoffs to begin forthwith... and not just from OSP.

 

[Mylan]

I think that this move is bad for the dispatchers and the public but good for me...

bad for the dispatchers because some "closed" post dispatchers now have to drive like 90 (give or take 30) miles to get to their place of employment ( or be unemployed) and plus, these dispatchers know nothing about the counties they are now dispatching so they can be of no help when taking a call.

bad for the public because now when a civilian hurries to the patrol post for some reason or another they find themselves greeted by a locked door and an empty house. (hopefully the case in point is not a young girl being chased by her angry armed ex thinking that the local post will be a safe haven for her only to realize that the post is signal 28 and thus he catches up to her and blasts her away as she cries out into the lens of a camera being monitored 60 miles away.)

good for me because now I can ALWAYS monitor what is going on with the OSHP at three posts, six counties.... before the consolidation, I could only hear post #07 and on occasion Post #41.... between listening to the scanners and checking the respective county map, I have learned a great deal about the geography of washington and morgan counties.

OVERALL... just like most everything in the world, it's all about the Benjamins; and I still think that this is a very poor move for such a respected agency and I personally hope it gets reversed.....I used to think that the patrol was a class act but between this and the move to the chargers.. ugly ...

 

[BigJimbo]

Just think of how much money it would have saved everyone if this whole "consolidation" thing had been given a thought before the Centracom Gold consoles were installed at EVERY post.

Wanting to reduce costs/improve efficiency and HAVING to reduce costs/improve efficiency can be worlds apart in Government.

 

[wa8pyr]

Just think of how much money it would have saved everyone if this whole "consolidation" thing had been given a thought before the Centracom Gold consoles were installed at EVERY post.

They did consider it. Read my earlier post.

 

[BigJimbo]

Guess I should have read that twice....sorry, Tom. This has been a hot topic for me and I was interested to see the post. We talked about that whole thing at the last Monix meeting.

Have you heard of any Public outcry or Trooper complaints now that this is happening whether they like it or not?

 

[SLWilson]

Public....

I think it is like most things with the public.....They have no idea what is going on in their own neighborhood (or choose to stick their head in the sand if they do) let alone something like OSP removing the personnel from the patrol post....Closing it "after hours"....

Most don't/won't care until they pull in to a post NEEDING something only to find it all locked up with nobody home....

What I can't believe is the Columbus Dispatch hasn't picked up on it !!!!

Steve/KB8FAR

 

[hoser147]

I agree Steve, they went from a post here in St.Marys, built a new post in Wapakoneta at 33 and I 75 only to make it into an outpost, heck of a waste of Taxpayer dollars. It was in the local paper's here, kinda figured someone one post in the public forum's about it, but like you said they don't care till they pull in and no one is there..

 

[Mylan]

Can anyone tell me if it is a local or statewide mandate that as of JAN 1 all post troopers, when calling in use the NAME of the post instead of the number....
In Belmont, Jefferson, and Washington counties they used to use the post # but now they are all required to call in to "St. Clairsville" and the majority of them do not like that at all.....

I know some posts have always gone by the name while others went by the number....

 

[hoser147]

Can anyone tell me if it is a local or statewide mandate that as of JAN 1 all post troopers, when calling in use the NAME of the post instead of the number....
In Belmont, Jefferson, and Washington counties they used to use the post # but now they are all required to call in to "St. Clairsville" and the majority of them do not like that at all.....

I know some posts have always gone by the name while others went by the number....

Good Question, I hear it different ways from different districts.

 

[mtindor]

Can anyone tell me if it is a local or statewide mandate that as of JAN 1 all post troopers, when calling in use the NAME of the post instead of the number....
In Belmont, Jefferson, and Washington counties they used to use the post # but now they are all required to call in to "St. Clairsville" and the majority of them do not like that at all.....

I know some posts have always gone by the name while others went by the number....

I noticed this as well Mylan. I like it though, not that it really makes a difference which way they do it. I suppose they have some rhyme or reason to it though.

Mike

 

[Mylan]

I just wondered if anyone can tell me if since Jan 1, they have personally heard any troopers or dispatcher at any post in the state use the post # or if this name thing is just a district seven thing...

I realize that previously each post did it their own way. but have all posts now been required to use the name.

 

[hoser147]

I just wondered if anyone can tell me if since Jan 1, they have personally heard any troopers or dispatcher at any post in the state use the post # or if this name thing is just a district seven thing...

I realize that previously each post did it their own way. but have all posts now been required to use the name.

Still using post # up here in Districts 1 and 5.

 

[mdulrich]

Still using post # up here in Districts 1 and 5.

Post 2 (Lima) units are dispatched by Post 81 (Van Wert) and calls Van Wert.

Mike

 

[hoser147]

Post 6 Wapak has been changing over to Piqua quite a bit in the last few days. Not sure if they have completly done the switch there yet. Daytime from Post 6, later in the day Piqua takes it.

 

[radioscan]

I think it depends on the post. I hear units calling "Piqua" instead of "Five Five",
yet all Dayton area units use "Five-Seven". Same for SW Ohio units,
Post 9 is called "Post Nine" not Hamilton and Post 83 is called "Post Eighty Three".
Post 14 Wilmington is the D8 headquarters and their units call it "Wilmington".

 

[mdulrich]

I think it depends on the post. I hear units calling "Piqua" instead of "Five Five",
yet all Dayton area units use "Five-Seven". Same for SW Ohio units,
Post 9 is called "Post Nine" not Hamilton and Post 83 is called "Post Eighty Three".
Post 14 Wilmington is the D8 headquarters and their units call it "Wilmington".

Piqua is a DHQ.

Mike

 

[radioscan]

Yes it is, that seems to be the case with District 5 and 8 calling DHQ by name, however St. Clairsville which was mentioned earlier is not D7 HQ.