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Committee backs plan for dedicated police administrative phone line and updated voicemail
Summary
Advisory committee and staff proposed creating a publicized administrative phone line for the police department (separate from 911) with clear disclaimers about response time, and updating voicemail routing so calls ring multiple phones during business hours and are accessible to staff after hours.
Members of the Public Health & Safety Committee and staff discussed a communications plan to improve how residents reach the police department for non‑emergencies, including a dedicated administrative phone line and updated voicemail messages.
The advisory committee recommended a six‑month trial of an administrative police phone line publicized on the borough website, with a strong disclaimer that callers should not expect responses within 48 hours, and continued instructions to call 911 for emergencies. "We continue to make sure that our communication is consistent and effective," a committee member reported.
Staff said the current phone routing sometimes directed calls to a single officer’s phone and voicemails were not broadly accessible, which caused delays when staff were out of the office. The proposed changes would route daytime calls to a designated on‑duty administrative person (Kelsey was named as a contact) and, after hours, route calls to a voicemail accessible by police officers. Staff said they will also update the recorded phone message to correct misleading phrasing and provide consistent instructions.
Committee members described the voicemail issue as the top public complaint; staff said they will work with the phone provider, update routing, create a new recorded message, and publicize the administrative line on the website. The committee logged an ongoing plan to perform an annual review of police call data to better align communications with actual service demand.
No vote was recorded; staff will implement the routing and message changes and report back.
