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Lemoore begins local dispatch testing, continues hiring; full 911 integration remains pending state and vendor work
Summary
The council received an update that Lemoore has begun taking over dispatch responsibilities from Hanford for parts of the day while testing radio and phone lines; city staff said hiring is underway and full local 911 call handling requires vendor installations and state coordination before a full switchover.
City public safety staff told the Lemoore City Council on March 18 that the city has begun a phased transition of dispatch operations from Hanford Police Department. Staff said Hanford currently takes 911 and other calls and enters them into the computer-aided dispatch system while Lemoore dispatchers dispatch units as part of a training and testing schedule running roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chief-level staff said testing of radio equipment and phone lines has been underway for about a week and a half, and the early phase has shown only low-volume issues that staff have resolved. The city has cleared five dispatcher candidates through background checks and planned to re‑advertise remaining dispatcher and senior dispatcher positions until the roles are filled.
City staff said the remaining steps before full local call-handling include completion of vendor installs and final coordination with state partners and AT&T: the city's vendor (NGA) must finish installing 911 equipment and AT&T must provide additional phone lines to route nonemergency numbers to Lemoore dispatch. Staff did not give a firm date for full cutover but said it will occur after those steps and after staffing is completed.
Ending: Council members thanked staff for the update and noted the transition will continue to be monitored; staff will return with timing once vendor and state steps are complete.
