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Police chief urges closer coordination among police, fire and dispatch in public-safety briefing
Summary
Police Chief Brent Streker told the Columbus City Council the police, fire and joint communications center are strengthening coordination, updating Mayday and shots-fired protocols, and completing training and equipment upgrades as seasonal traffic stops and calls for service trend upward.
Columbus Police Chief Brent Streker told the City Council on May 4 that the police, fire department and the joint communications center (JCC) are pursuing tighter coordination to improve emergency response and clarify radio and dispatch procedures.
“We want to bring our departments together,” Chief Streker said, describing ongoing work on water and ice rescue, radio-communication protocols, a Mayday policy for firefighter-down incidents, and shots-fired notification procedures so dispatch can quickly identify who needs to be notified. He said that better interdepartmental familiarity reduces stress during incident responses and improves public service.
Streker also outlined internal policy reviews, including uniform standards, K9 officer training and a new SWAT analysis. He said the department plans an open house and is exploring a virtual tour for parts of the police facility that cannot be shown in person, such as evidence storage. “We will continue to strengthen our inter-departmental coordination and trust,” he said.
On data trends, Streker noted a seasonal rise in traffic stops and described overall call-volume trends across recent years. When asked whether the new casino had increased calls for service, Streker said, “I can’t say that it’s because of the casino at all,” adding that the city prepared for possible changes but had not seen a clear material uptick tied to that facility.
The report also included fire-department updates: a final inspection was completed on a new ambulance ordered in 2023, and firefighter-paramedic Tom Ratchy is working with local high schools to expand Hands-Only CPR training.
Why it matters: Improvements to dispatch protocols and joint training affect how quickly emergency services arrive and how they coordinate on-scene. Council members asked for clarifications about enforcement and trends, and Streker said staff will continue to monitor metrics and report back.
Next steps: Chief Streker said the departments will continue training, pilot procedural changes, and return to council with updates as projects proceed.
