HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 25

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Debbie A. Rodella

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO COOPERATE IN A STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF COMBINING THE ESPANOLA E911 CENTER AND THE STATE POLICE 911 FUNCTION.

     WHEREAS, the public service answering point receives all 911 calls and pages medics and fire and law enforcement personnel; and

     WHEREAS, public service answering point staff are certified emergency medical care providers and provide life-saving services for all areas; and

     WHEREAS, public service answering points have stricter mandates in handling calls for service, with better dispatch performance and professionalism in answering calls, because more staff are on hand; and

     WHEREAS, larger centers typically have access to more resources and are, therefore, more efficient, and better service constitutes faster and fewer call transfers; and

     WHEREAS, mutual aid responses would be faster and more efficient, as they would avoid having to select the correct radio frequency for emergency assistance and making additional calls to page emergency responders; and

     WHEREAS, the public service answering points, under the department of finance and administration, provide the state police with equipment; and

     WHEREAS, consolidation might save money and optimize money spent by consolidating multiple centers doing like functions; and

     WHEREAS, within the communities in New Mexico, an excellent relationship exists between the public service answering points and the state police dispatch centers; and

     WHEREAS, better service to the community would result from housing the two dispatch agencies in the same location, and much better communication involving information received and relayed to officers and the public could be attained;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of finance and administration and the New Mexico state police division of the department of public safety be requested to cooperate in a study of the feasibility of consolidating public service answering points and state police dispatch centers, especially in Espanola; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the agencies report their findings to the appropriate interim committee appointed by the New Mexico legislative council by December 1, 2012; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretaries of finance and administration and public safety and the co-chairs of the New Mexico legislative council.

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