Miami Twp. police may move dispatch services to Kettering, vote could happen tonight

MIAMI TWP., Montgomery County — Miami Twp. Police may be dispatched out of the Kettering police dispatch center if trustees decide to approve a resolution presented to them Tuesday night.

""The Miami Township Police Department has been a member of the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center (RDC) since 2009 for public safety dispatching," said Miami Twp. Administrator Ronald Hess. “At their meeting tonight, the Miami Township Board of Trustees will be considering a resolution to transfer our public safety dispatching to the City of Kettering as a cost-savings measure to our citizens."

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The resolution comes about four months after trustees voted to enter into a feasibility study to see if it would make sense for the township to leave the regional dispatch center to create a joint dispatch center with several Montgomery County suburbs.

The study includes police departments from Kettering, Centerville, Moraine, West Carrollton and Miami Twp., according to a June resolution.

Miami Twp. is the only police agency in the group currently serviced by the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center. Kettering and Moraine each have its own dispatch centers. Centerville and West Carrollton currently operate a joint dispatch center.

Trustee President John Morris said he’s been frustrated with the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center, which he says oversees the regional dispatch center.

“I’ve been thoroughly disappointed with the frequency of the meetings and the overall effort that has been put forward by the county to coordinate information to the members of the regional dispatch center,” said John Morris, Miami Twp. Board of Trustees President. “Clearly we have a record of poor service. We have a record of increased costs. The communication has been poor.”

Morris also brought up concerns with the upcoming transition to 5G signals for cell phones and the county’s planning for the impacts that change may bring to the regional dispatch center’s operation.

“There’s been a fundamental lack of planning,” the board of trustees president said.

Cox Media Group