Brown Deer Joins Consolidated Dispatch

The final piece in a major change to the North Shore police departments is in place.

On Monday night, the Brown Deer Village Board authorized Village Attorney John Fuchs to negotiate a contract with Bayside for consolidating their dispatch centers, according to an article by BrownDeerNOW.

It's been greater than a two-year debate among Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, River Hills, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and Glendale. The same seven communities are members of the North Shore Fire Department.

The report says that with Brown Deer now joining the consolidation effort, Bayside will begin seeking bids for an addition to Village Hall for the new center, planned to open in 2012. It will replace the dispatch centers in Brown Deer and Whitefish Bay and run all police, fire and rescue calls for the NSFD.

Bayside Village Manager Andy Pederson says the move will allow for some better technology and long-term savings.

He said the biggest reason for the consolidation is that it would improve response times. A single dispatch center would allow for quicker responses because the calls would not have to be rerouted to Milwaukee County before heading to the right municipality. A joint center also would mean fewer potential human or technological errors, he said.

The report cites the vote passing 6-1, with the only nay vote from Trustee Jeff Baker.