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Montcalm County dispatch chief outlines staffing stability, radio encryption and phone‑system upgrade
Summary
New Montcalm County Central Dispatch Director Logan Bessel told commissioners the center handled nearly 53,000 calls last year, is "fairly" to fully staffed per national guidance and is close to finishing a radio encryption project while planning a phone/CAD upgrade to enable regional interoperability.
Montcalm County's new Central Dispatch director, Logan Bessel, introduced himself to the county Board of Commissioners on Jan. 12 and described priorities for the 9‑1‑1 center, citing staffing, technology and reliability.
"We're currently just shy of 53,000 calls for service last year," Bessel said, adding about 22,009 9‑1‑1 calls, roughly 64,000 administrative calls and 227 text‑to‑9‑1‑1 messages. He told the board the center is "fairly staffed" and that the National Emergency Number Association standards indicate staffing is close to recommended levels.
Bessel said the dispatch office is concluding a radio encryption project that will bring police radios into compliance with CJIS and FCC requirements and that the county has purchased new radios for local police agencies; final programming and training remain for a small number of units. He also described an upcoming phone‑system and computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) upgrade that would allow regional interoperability so neighboring centers could log in and answer Montcalm County calls if needed.
Commissioners asked whether all agencies had received the new radios and about officer training; Bessel said distribution is complete but that one agency awaits programming and that training on touchscreen radio units is forthcoming.
Bessel said staffing remains a priority: while national data show many centers are experiencing high vacancy rates, Montcalm County is currently staffed and the director said his focus is "matching our staffing with the systems that we're putting in front of them." He left his contact information for follow‑up and invited commissioners to raise concerns by email or phone.
The board did not take formal action on the dispatch update; commissioners thanked Bessel for the presentation and proceeded to the next agenda items.
