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WPRO News and the Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A new report is recommending that Rhode Island consolidate the 72 local public safety dispatch centers across the state to save money.
The General Assembly’s Joint Commission on Shared Municipal Services asked Brown University’s Taubman Center to study how the state’s emergency dispatch system is structured and make recommendations.
The report released Tuesday recommends creating regional emergency dispatch centers to save municipalities money on long-term operating and maintenance costs and technology upgrades. The 911 system is being updated so people can report emergencies via text message and digital media.
Currently 911 calls are routed to State Police headquarters, then connected to the appropriate dispatch center.
The legislature set up the commission to examine whether municipalities could save money by sharing services such as garbage collection, emergency dispatch and tax collection.
