By GARTH STAPLEY
Special to the Ceres (Calif.) Courier
Will people be less safe when Stanislaus deputies dispatched from 911 calls jot down addresses of people needing help with pen and paper instead of using computers?
That low-tech scenario, evoked numerous times in an ongoing high-level rift between Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and other Stanislaus County leaders, could become reality Sept. 22. The yearslong dispute has revolved around which software dispatchers should use to communicate with first responders in law enforcement and firefighting. City and county leaders have been preparing for one system, while Dirkse has refused to implement it for his deputies.
In an interview with The Modesto Focus, the sheriff said he’s been holding an ace that could change things.
Dirkse said he intends to go live next month with new software his department has developed at the same time that most other emergency agencies in the county begin using a rival system.
This may come as a surprise to county leaders he’s been feuding with, the sheriff said, “because no one wants to talk to me.”
What dueling dispatch software could mean for citizens
First responders strive to provide timely responses, associated with better outcomes in emergencies and higher public confidence. It isn’t clear how the dual deployment of the two systems might affect public safety.
County and Modesto officials worry that going backward in a world of rapid technology advances could put those seeking emergency help at risk in the sheriff’s jurisdiction. That’s all unincorporated Stanislaus areas as well as Hughson, Waterford, Riverbank and Patterson which contract for police services through the Sheriff’s Department – basically everywhere but Ceres, Turlock, Oakdale and Newman, which use other dispatch services.
What sorts of impacts could be possible with two dueling systems?
• Pen-and-paper use in 911 calls, because deputies’ digital technology won’t be able to “talk” to that of dispatchers, said Kasey Young, the dispatch center’s executive director.
• Nor will dispatchers be able to “see” deputies’ exact locations. If an officer becomes unable to respond because of an attack, a wreck or some other circumstance, the dispatcher won’t know where to send help, Young said.
• Deputies won’t be able to create calls, show themselves on the scene of an incident, or send messages to dispatchers, Young said.
• Deputies won’t see electronic information that could help them assess danger, such as arrest warrants for a suspect, license plate status and more.
• All of the above will be communicated by radio, taking more air time and potentially tying up lines needed by other officers, firefighters and ambulances drivers throughout the county.
Officials are worried that anything gumming up the system could delay help, putting people and first responders alike in harm’s way and increasing frustration. It’s also how all the infighting could trickle down to regular citizens in an emergency.
In a public presentation in February, real-life exchanges with Stanislaus Regional 911 dispatchers showed the exasperation of callers forced to repeat basic information when they’re transferred from one agency to another – an unavoidable result of not being on the same page.
Stanislaus Regional 911 dispatcher: “OK, let me get you over to the ambulance company. Hang on, OK?”
Caller: “You’re the third person. Come on!”
Dispatcher: “I know, sir. I understand. Unfortunately, this is our protocol.”
Dirkse says his deputies will continue responding with no lag in response times. His critics’ claims amount to scare tactics, the sheriff said.
Dispute over city-county 911 services didn’t start with sheriff
Dispatching emergency calls is at the heart of the dispute, brewing for at least four years. It has bubbled over several times – when Dirkse threatened to sue late last year; when his deputies served a search warrant on Stanislaus Regional 911 earlier this year; in public at various County Board of Supervisors meetings; and when the Stanislaus Civil Grand Jury released a scathing report in late June, subtitled “Fraught with divisive controversy resulting in public safety vulnerability.”
“The current atmosphere,” the report says, is riddled with “mistrust, accusations, isolated refusals to work cooperatively, collusion, hurt feelings, frustration, anger, and resentment.”
Deferring to the authority and popularity of Dirkse, who ran unopposed for his second term, county supervisors years ago let him partner with Oracle, a software titan seeking a guinea pig to help it get a foothold in the public safety market.
But supervisors also affirmed their partnership with 24 agencies relying on Stanislaus Regional 911 for dispatching. That joint powers authority went down a parallel track with CentralSquare, a software company with 8,000 client agencies.
Both sides agree on one thing: the dispatch center they jointly created 26 years ago, Stanislaus Regional 911, has needed new software for many years. The system is two major software versions behind and is so old that tech support hasn’t been available since 2021. “Patchwork maintenance, updates, and repairs have been able to keep the system marginally operational,” but it should have been replaced long ago, the grand jury found.
Things got so bad that Modesto in October 2021 served what insiders now refer to as “the divorce letter,” notifying everyone that the city would separate from Stanislaus Regional 911 and pursue its own dispatch service. The prospect of the joint powers authority crumbling put everyone in a panic. The partners used “we’re-better-together” logic to persuade Modesto to stay. Fences were mended and in a complete role reversal, now it’s the Sheriff’s Department going it alone.
So alone that even county supervisors, ideally the sheriff’s closest allies, are siding with Modesto and the other agencies, including the county probation office and the county fire warden, whose software upgrade is scheduled to go live Sept. 22. Dirkse and his team have refused to configure their software with the partners’, a task that could take up to six months.
“Everyone except the Sheriff’s Office is working their tail off to get this (upgrade) ready, and they haven’t participated,” said Modesto Police Chief Brandon Gillespie in an Aug. 7 meeting of the dispatch center’s governing board. “There will be repercussions, no doubt there are going to be. It’s a shame.”
All four elected members of the governing board – the Consolidated Emergency Dispatch Agency Commission, or CEDAC – shared similar sober sentiments, some openly questioning how reverting to pen-and-paper technology could affect people in dire need of help. Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen, a governing board member and retired nurse, tried to imagine a hospital emergency room ditching the efficiency of electronic records.
“I don’t think we should just ignore that there are impacts,” the mayor said.
Agencies’ rift could end regional joint dispatch agreement
County Supervisor Mani Grewal, who represents much of Modesto, said, “This is the beginning of the end of the JPA, I would think.” He’s also a member of the governing board, whose Aug. 19 meeting has been canceled. County supervisors expect a briefing at 6:30 p.m. the same day.
At the Aug. 7 governing board meeting, Dirkse’s team steadfastly reminded the sheriff’s critics of his grievances:
• CentralSquare, the partners’ new software, was chosen without a formal selection process, or request for proposals from companies specializing in public safety dispatching.
• Some agencies using CentralSquare expressed dissatisfaction to Dirkse’s people.
“I get that this commission voted for CentralSquare, but I don’t think you had full and complete information,” sheriff’s Capt. Tori Hughes told the governing board.
Pen-and-paper regression “sounds scary, but citizens will still be safe and it won’t affect when we get there,” said sheriff’s Lt. Brock Condit, brother to County Supervisor Buck Condit, a governing board member.
Yes, the deep division extends to families. Brock Condit is loyally in the sheriff’s camp, while Buck Condit remains true to the dispatch center partnership and the Board of Supervisors he chairs.
“It’s disheartening,” Buck Condit said. “You always want to be on the same page with the sheriff, and for the most part, we are. Just not on this subject.”
Stanislaus sheriff digs in his heels, cites ‘fear-mongering’
In his Modesto Focus interview, Dirkse dismissed pen-and-paper warnings as “fear-mongering.”
People should know, the sheriff said, that his position as the outlier in the dispatch battle is motivated by genuine desire to provide the very best service possible. That starts with a vision for competent dispatch, he said, which the partners do not share because they have different needs.
All agencies – law enforcement, firefighting and ambulances – and dispatchers must operate with computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, Dirkse explained.
Beyond that basic system, law enforcement and fire need access to specialized records management software. And beyond that, his deputies need information specific to the county jail operated by his department.
The partnership’s software upgrade won’t provide that, the sheriff said, while Oracle does.
And because Dirkse was willing to be Oracle’s public safety guinea pig, the company will provide its services for free for five years, saving county taxpayers $8.2 million, the sheriff says.
“So yes, I’m passionate about this and I’m angry. We’ve fought over this for four years. The collective ‘they’ is so fixed on, ‘Well, we’ve just got to stay together because it’s better for the community.’ How is it better? A dysfunctional system is not better for the community,” he said.
His determination apparently did not sit well with grand jurors. People they interviewed called him “intimidating,” “threatening,” “inflexible,” “retaliatory,” “vindictive,” and “a bully” who insists on “his way or the highway.”
“The sheriff himself explained that he’s learned that “being stubborn and combative works in getting what I want,” the report says.
But the grand jury’s conclusion that the dispatch service is woefully inadequate is spot-on, the sheriff said.
“I’m not immune to being stubborn, but it takes two to play this game,” Dirkse said. “I have a plan, I have a vision, and quite frankly the board has approved it and nobody can tell me why they didn’t do a (request for proposals).”
Irreconcilable differences for sheriff and 911 dispatch center?
When questioned about the need for comprehensive new software while at the same time assuring people there will be no safety lapses if deputies revert to pen and paper, Dirkse pulled his ace from his sleeve.
“It’s not the optimal solution. I won’t pretend otherwise,” Dirkse began. He said he intends to launch Oracle – his department’s software upgrade – at the same time the partners go live with CentralSquare, on Sept. 22.
His department will finally have fingertip access to all the records and jail information they need, Dirkse said, and his deputies will be able to create service calls and see each other’s locations despite losing digital communication with dispatchers and the other partners.
He hasn’t informed them because they’ve ostracized him, the sheriff said. And he may be able to do it without asking those controlling his budget – county supervisors – to build him a new, separate dispatch center, Dirkse said.
If this means the end of the joint powers authority as we know it, so be it, the sheriff said.
“It all spins around dispatch,” the sheriff said. “This literally has been the undoing of our relationship.
“I don’t care what anyone has said about me, and I’m not asking what they’re saying. I’ll read it (in the news),” Dirkse said. “I’ve said for a couple of years that we are literally fighting over the absolute silliest thing.”
Garth Stapley is the accountability reporter for The Modesto Focus, a project of the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.
