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Tuesday, September 20, 1994     Page: 4A QUICK WORDS: MEETINGS

911 system shouldn’t cut dispatchers, Keiper says
   
When Luzerne County starts its 911 system, Kingston should keep its
dispatchers as a secondary dispatching center, administrator Jim Keiper said.
    Keiper gave his advice to council in a work session Monday, during a
presentation about 911 by Kevin O’Brien, executive director of Luzerne County
Emergency Services.
   
The county will be able to dispatch emergency calls, but it can’t provide
services Kingston’s dispatchers perform, such as completing police reports,
answering walk-in questions, monitoring people in police custody or taking
parking-ticket fines.
   
“If the dispatchers weren’t there, that’s a patrolman off the street, doing
those jobs,” Keiper said.
   
O’Brien said the county’s plans so far do include Kingston joining the
system and keeping its dispatchers, but he is meeting with town officials
countywide to outline their options.