Citizen Concerns for 911 Dispatch

Someone anonymously left this comment via support and was passed to me via email. "I think the citizens of Monroe County would be interested in knowing that the commissioners are considering shutting down the local 911 center in Paris and entering a contract with NECOM formerly known as Marion 911 in Hannibal. This would eliminate jobs in a community that already has limited employment opportunities as well as shift emergency calls to a dispatch center that already dispatches for three counties. The citizens of Monroe County know when they call 911, they are speaking to another Monroe County resident who understands and can relate to their situation. This however is not the case with a call taker at a center in another county who already dispatches for three counties."

I had not heard of this, so I reached out to the commissioners. This is what Curt Wheeler, Presiding Commissioner of Monroe County said. "We ARE NOT considering shutting down 911 not sure where you heard that. We did tell them we have to do something with the going over budget so badly."

The Monroe County Commission responded with, "Monroe County Commission has approved many equipment upgrades and improvements for 911 in the last three years. Danielle Rossier is the supervisor of 911 and in addition to her, there are seven full-time employees. Overtime issues have been resolved that were affecting the budget."