State budget woes threaten Troop B

NORTH CANAAN — A plan to try to consolidate State Police dispatch services in Litchfield County is being proposed again by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). The goal is to prevent state budget cutbacks from translating into trooper layoffs (see related story, this page).

Local first selectmen and state representatives attended a joint meeting of the Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments (COG) and the Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials (LHCEO) Aug. 16 at the University of Connecticut campus in Torrington.

They brought their concerns about potential negative impacts of moving dispatch services out of Troop B in North Canaan, as well as rumors that Troop B will close.

The COG and LHCEO are made up of the first selectmen from area towns. The COG serves the towns of North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Canaan/Falls Village, Kent and Cornwall as well as Warren, Washington and Roxbury.

State Police Col. Danny Stebbins, Troop B Commander Lt. David Rich and Major Butch Hyatt, commanding officer of the Western District, said the plan to consolidate dispatch for the Troop B area, and Troop A in Southbury to Troop L in Litchfield, will free up more troopers to patrol the roads.

All dispatching would be handled by civilians, who make far less than troopers (who earn the same salary whether patrolling or sitting at a desk).

The savings would ensure there would be no layoffs, according to the State Police officials.

They also gave assurances that there are no plans to close Troop B.

A similar plan was proposed last year, but did not work out, for reasons that have not been made public. Troop B civilian dispatchers were told they could keep their jobs. Having to travel to Litchfield was not a popular idea.

Currently at Troop B, the dispatch desk is manned by a trooper and civilian simultaneously.

Pros  and cons

Keeping a barracks open is not just about having a localized base for road troopers. The troop provides civilian jobs for clerical and maintenance workers. It is a potential safe haven that is open day or night. It provides services such as fingerprinting for background checks required for many employment fields and an Explorer Post for teenagers.

Advances in radio communication technology, expanding cell phone coverage and laptops in cruisers  are allowing the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to take a look well into the future at how dispatch is handled.

Stebbins said the ultimate goal is to have one dispatch center for all 12 barracks in the state. Cities including Los Angeles and New York use a similar setup.

Reporting back to the towns

Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway apprised his board of the meeting later that day, saying town leaders were “sort of reassured by the presentation.”  But concerns for the great distances troopers have to cover here remain. The single dispatch center idea was not well-received by those at either meeting.

“The bigger they are, the more spectacular the crash,” Ridgway said, summing up the fear that having no options could be disastrous.

The state police have a plan to use more cameras in various places. The state Department of Transportation already uses traffic cameras on main roads  elsewhere in the state.

Troop B in North Canaan covers more than 500 square miles and 13 towns, many of which have no other police coverage.

The State Police there cover  the towns of Salisbury, Sharon, North Canaan, Canaan/Falls Village and Cornwall. Kent is part of the Troop L coverage area.