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Council approves Fort Atkinson Police as primary wireless 911 answering point
Summary
The council approved a resolution allowing the Fort Atkinson Police Department to serve as the primary wireless 911 Public Safety Answering Point under NextGen 911, a move supported by the Jefferson County Sheriff and expected to reduce call transfers and delays at a reduced one-time cost.
Captain Lindsay told the council that Fort Atkinson completed a NextGen 911 transition for wireless calls and requested formal designation of the police dispatch center as the primary wireless 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PAP).
"As a primary PAP ... we can now receive those phone calls as well," Captain Lindsay said, explaining that current practice routed cellular calls to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, which then transfers them to Fort Atkinson dispatch when calls originate inside city limits. Lindsay said the transfer process can delay first responders and require callers to repeat information. The Jefferson County Sheriff supported the change, Lindsay said.
Staff reported a one-time implementation cost that had been estimated at $6,500 but was reduced to $4,000; funds exist in the police department telephone and radio account. Council members asked about potential downtime and boundary issues; staff said NextGen 911 provides automatic fallback to county dispatch if the local system is overrun and that calls near jurisdictional boundaries may still route to the county and be transferred appropriately.
Council approved the resolution to designate the Fort Atkinson Police Department as the primary wireless 911 PAP.
Provenance: SEG 838–SEG 986.
