Recordpub.com - Ravenna patrol adds dispatch

By Marci Piltz
Record-Courier staff writer
The Ravenna Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol recently gained a few extra bodies because the patrol consolidated two dispatch centers into one.
Lt. Michael Marucci, commander of the Ravenna Post, said the transition "which began taking place March 2 "so far has been going smoothly.
"It's going to take some time to get a few bugs out of the system, or for those people coming on board at this location re-learning some things if they're accustomed to doing it differently at their prior location," Marucci said. "This is going to help us become more efficient in both dispatch and road patrols."
Marucci said the Ravenna dispatch center now hosts two computer aided dispatch (CAD) centers. One will be used to continue dispatching for troopers from the Ravenna post; the second will be used by dispatchers who transferred from the Warren post to communicate with troopers from that post.
"In February, the Ashtabula post became the dispatch center for the Chardon and Ashtabula posts, and last summer the Canfield dispatchers moved to a dispatch center a the Lisbon post," he said. "Previously, when dispatchers would need a break we found ourselves pulling troopers from the road to sit in dispatch for a half hour. Now, there will always be a second dispatcher in here so our troopers can stay out on the roads and keep their emphasis on public safety."
Marucci said the consolidation of the dispatch centers also will save the post money.
"The cost savings will come in as we are able to reduce our overtime," he said. "When there was only one dispatcher on the schedule, if that person called off, we would post that shift and someone would pick it up as overtime. Now, even if one person calls off we'll always have that second dispatcher working."
Marucci said the dispatch center will now have three staff members per shift.
"Even though there will be more people on one shift, it will still save money because they'd have been working at the Warren post anyhow," he said.
He also explained that the dispatch center at Ravenna already had an extra dispatch desk that was not being used prior to the transition.
"When this post building was built in 2006, part of the design was taking into consideration expansion," he said. "Since we are a newer post and already had the space, that played a big role in the decision to consolidate the two centers into one here in Ravenna."
The Warren Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol covers all of Trumbull County, Marucci said, while the Ravenna Post covers all of Portage County. The Ohio Turnpike in Portage County is patrolled by troopers from the Hiram Post, which is overseen by the Berea Post of the patrol.
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E-mail: mpiltz@
recordpub.com
Phone: 330-298-1128

3.	Posted by DoWhatsRight March 17, 2009
	B. S huh? Well I am sure you were not there with me when I went there and waited and waited and waited. I knew a lot of State Troopers and they were good officers, but now it seems they are getting lesser quality. You were not there when I finally got to tell an officer what I wanted only to be told that the officer was not in and would not be in for a couple of days. I told them all I wanted was a copy of the report. He walked away and said nothing. Finally I did get someone that got a copy of the report for me. B. S. ? I think not. By the way, that guy is no longer there.