SEP 1 2 7011 David H. YAM ChiefEEx ecutive OM Superior Court ofraieir,ounty by D. &mum The Honorable Richard J. Loftus,*

Recommendations 2

• R1
  "Jurisdictions which maintain their own dispatching centers – Campbell, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, the City of Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale - and all jurisdictions which use Santa Clara County Communications for dispatch - Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, and Saratoga - should consolidate dispatch with neighboring jurisdictions and, where appropriate, should issue RFPs to do so." The County Communications Department partially agrees with Recommendation 1. The dispatch centers listed are Primary (law) PSAPs, which may or may not also be Secondary (fire/medical) PSAPs. Secondary PSAPs may be better aligned for consolidation between service providers and/or centers than Primary PSAPs. Recently, serious discussions regarding potential consolidation of dispatch centers and/or field services have been increasing in frequency and participation between Police Chiefs, Fire Chiefs, and City Managers, primarily due to the current economic downturn and a need to streamline costs. Local control, facility location and expansion/space limitations, experience/responsibility levels, disparate business rules and service delivery policies and practices, use of disparate systems and/or other technology challenges, as well as one-time start-up costs have all been identified as challenges hindering local consolidation efforts. As mentioned in the report, many local agencies including the County believe dispatch consolidation is possible and that fire dispatch may lend itself more easily than law enforcement to consolidation due to fire agencies' higher use of standardized response protocols and terminology, and technology compatibilities. The County is very interested in working in partnership with other agencies to achieve improved cost-effectiveness, operational efficiencies, and response times through the use of shared technology and consolidation of services, where appropriate. As the second largest PSAP in Santa Clara County, the County Communications operates as an independent dispatch service provider, which reports directly to the Office of the County Executive and provides communications dispatching, engineering and maintenance services to approximately 60 entities. County Communications' Dispatch Center was designed and equipped to support future growth in services. The site is located at the highest point on the valley floor, providing excellent 360 degree coverage for voice and data communication systems. The Dispatch Center currently has equipped console positions available that are capable of supporting an additional eight (three 9- 1-1 call answering, two law, two fire and one medical) positions that could be used in support of consolidation. Existing space (approx. 2,600 sq. ft.) that was designed and previously used as a fire/medical dispatching control room could support a larger expansion of dispatch operations, if needed, with some relocation of existing staff members. There is also additional space on the grounds that could support added facility expansion.
• R2
  "Jurisdictions which maintain their own dispatching centers - Campbell, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, the City of Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale; all jurisdictions which use Santa Clara County Communications for dispatch – Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, and Saratoga; the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office; and Santa Clara County, should continue to work with the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Association to achieve countywide standardization of radio technology." The County Communications Department agrees with Recommendation 2. The County and most municipalities are active participants in local and regional efforts aimed at improving voice and data interoperability and coordinated response of public safety services during emergencies. The County has two elected officials serving as voting members of the SVRIA Board of Directors and three voting members serving on the SVRIA Working Committee, including a County Deputy County Executive, the County Communications Director, and a County Fire Deputy Chief who serves as one of two at-large members. County staff members also participate on several projects as project managers, technical and/or operational subject matter experts.