Police chief warns 24/7 Ludlow dispatch coverage is at risk after multiple resignations
Summary
Police Chief Warfle told the Select Board that abrupt resignations have put around-the-clock dispatching in jeopardy; the board discussed short-term call-forwarding to Springfield, mutual-aid testing with Keene, and staff concerns over long-term funding.
Ludlow’s Police Chief Warfle told the Select Board on Sept. 21 that the town’s 24/7 dispatch coverage is endangered after several abrupt resignations, prompting discussion of emergency contingency measures and staff concerns about job security.
“We will have staffing until 0700 on 9/27,” Chief Warfle said, and described a Springfield-based quote to handle 7 p.m.–7 a.m. call answering and radio support while the town tests mutual-aid links with Keene. Town Manager Penny Wu said dispatch is fully funded through FY2027 but acknowledged staff questions about coverage beyond that date.
Dispatchers and town staff described low morale amid rapid departures. Dispatcher Stacy Bishop told the board morale had been low ‘‘since the meeting in December’’ and asked about job guarantees after July; board members replied they could not provide long-term assurances at this meeting. Penny Wu encouraged union representation and said chiefs are pursuing multiple contingency options, including microwave or VPN links and repeater testing.
The board heard that the State Police declined to assist directly, according to Chief Warfle. Fire Chief Ben Whalen described testing plans with Keene for repeater functionality and said E911 transfers will be used for fire and EMS calls during any transition. The Select Board asked staff to increase public awareness of any interim arrangements and to continue recruiting applicants.
Next steps include continued technical testing with Keene, evaluating Springfield’s call-forwarding quote, and keeping the public informed about how 911 calls will be routed if local dispatch capacity is interrupted.
AI generated
The text on this page is AI generated. Summaries, highlights, analysis, and video transcripts are all produced from the original source material.
AI can make mistakes, so if you spot one, and we will fix it for everyone.
Note: the source content is unaltered by us. Any content source we link to, be it a video, an audio recording, or a document, is presented exactly as its publisher released it. That publisher is usually a government body, sometimes an individual official or another organisation.
