Sheriff Jeff Dirkse has wanted his department to go a different route with 911 services, working with Oracle to develop a computer-aided dispatch system and proposing a joint dispatch center with Ceres police. But county officials say it's time to connect with the CentralSquare CAD at Stanislaus Regional 911, even though the sheriff doesn't recommend that system.
Stanislaus Regional 911, a partnership between Modesto and the county since 1999, plans in September to implement the CentralSquare CAD for dispatching police and fire calls, replacing an antiquated system. The Sheriff's Department would be left without dispatch services because more time is needed to expand the Ceres dispatch center and implement the Oracle CAD, county officials said.
If the board gives approval Tuesday, the county will procure licenses for the Sheriff's Department, Probation and Office of Emergency Services to use the new CentralSquare CAD at the SR-911 center.
Supervisors are leaving the door open for the sheriff to continue developing an alternative dispatch center with Ceres, but they want far more clarity on the costs and effect on emergency response times.
"We need to give direction on what we think is best," Board Chairman Buck Condit said Monday. Further delays in connecting to the SR-911 CentralSquare system will increase costs for the county, he said.
"I think we need to keep (Dirkse's proposals) open as an option, but there are things that need to be discussed, such as any detriment to services and response times," Condit said.
The agenda reports for Tuesday's board meeting include a draft letter to Dirkse clarifying what's expected to obtain board support for an alternative dispatch center. According to the letter, any proposal must include assurances that it won't degrade response times for law enforcement, fire and ambulance calls.
The response time analysis must involve the county fire warden, the Stanislaus Regional 911 executive director, fire chiefs, ambulance providers and representatives from the sheriff's service contract cities: Riverbank, Patterson, Hughson and Waterford.
The county has received correspondence from Patterson on potential solutions and Riverbank has expressed interest in being part of the discussions, the letter says.
Dirkse didn't return messages from The Modesto Bee on Monday.
A fiscal analysis of the costs of the alternative system over time must include the county chief executive officer, auditor-controller, Stanislaus Regional 911 director and representatives of the contract cities, the draft letter says. The county counsel and purchasing agent also must review a proposed contract with Oracle.
Dirkse has said he began working with Oracle on a new CAD in 2021 when the Modesto Police Department indicated it was leaving the often-troubled SR-911 partnership. Dirkse said the Oracle CAD system will meet Sheriff's Department needs for jail management and records management capabilities.
The Sheriff's Department would incur no costs for the Oracle system for five years, but county leaders have wanted a clearer picture of the costs after five years.
"While the board acknowledges your intent to integrate all sheriff operations into a single system, a comprehensive plan remains necessary to achieve this objective," the board's draft letter to Dirkse says. "The board encourages you to advance the development of the (jail and records management) components and seek approval for their implementation when ready."
County Supervisor Mani Grewal said he wants the Stanislaus Regional JPA to stay together, while giving the sheriff the opportunity to implement the Oracle system.
One concern is that a Ceres and Sheriff's Office dispatch center would add a call transfer for fire emergencies in the contract cities of Riverbank, Patterson, Hughson and Waterford, resulting in slower response. But a CAD-to-CAD technology could address the problem, Dirkse has said.
The county's annual costs for connecting to the CentralSquare CAD at SR-911, including licensing, is about $210,000, an increase of $149,000.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the basement chamber of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St., Modesto.
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