
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 23, 1994                   TAG: 9403230066
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                                LENGTH: Medium

CUTBACKS RAISE FEARS OVER SAFETY

One of two overnight police radio channels will shut down Wednesday because of temporary cuts in the number of dispatchers used by the city's Emergency Services Department, according to a police memo.

The cuts - which include eliminating part-time dispatchers and stopping overtime for full-time dispatchers - have raised concerns by police about their own safety.

"When an officer needs help, he needs it right now," Police Chief Leslie Martinez said. "I am concerned. The dispatcher is one of the most important functions in the city."

She said she would send a letter to Marilee Hawkins, director of the emergency services department, expressing her concerns.

Hawkins said no final decision has been made on staffing levels.

But part-time dispatchers were told last week they would not be scheduled until the new fiscal year July 1, according to one who insisted on anonymity. About 10 part-timers would be affected by the decision.

Don Brown, director of safety for the Emergency Services Department, said the agency's budget has suffered from the expense of switching over to a new computer-aided dispatching system.

The department has sometimes paid two salaries to use part-timers to cover for full-time employees being trained on the new system, he said.

"We're just out of money until the budget year comes in," he said.

The channel shutdown and other changes were ordered by Brown, according to the police memo. The memo also indicated that a dispatcher would not be provided for certain special operations, such as sobriety checkpoints and drug raids.

Robert Simmons, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, said dispatchers already are under too much pressure. "This is just another way that the citizens are losing out," he said.

"It's bad enough now, when you've got two channels," said Ronnie Davis, a past FOP president. "They're always telling us to stand by."

Although there are fewer calls on the overnight shift, police officers said those calls often are the most serious, especially in the summer.

by CNB