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Residents split over Bergen County dispatch plan; school safety and desk staffing top concerns
Summary
During public comment on July 28, Oradell residents voiced a mix of support and concern about shifting dispatch to Bergen County PSOC. Supporters emphasized technology and freeing officers for patrol; opponents worried about losing an in-person desk, school safety and long-term costs. Speakers asked for written guarantees and clearer cost modeling.
Dozens of residents spoke during an extended public-comment period about the proposal to move Oradell's dispatch to Bergen County's PSOC, reflecting a division between those who favor centralized technology and those who fear loss of in-person service.
Ora Katzen, a Laurel Drive resident who spoke early in the public-comment period, praised the proposal's technology and suggested adding SMS/text reception to the PSOC capability; she said the change could "free our police force to be available for additional services." By contrast, several residents urged the council to preserve a staffed presence at police headquarters because of school safety and walk-in access. Eileen Jones told the council, "I think that we have a school right here where most of the kids know that if there's an emergency, you could just run right over here, and there won't be a policeman here for you." The comment echoed later concerns from Carissa Ruiz and others about camera-feed oversight and response times.
John Falcone, a resident who questioned overtime and staffing tradeoffs, warned that "If there's excessive overtime, that's gonna have an impact" on first responders' fatigue and performance. Multiple commenters also urged the council to get clearer, multi-year cost projections: one resident noted technology uplifts can grow faster than personnel costs and recommended the council examine three- to five-year total cost of ownership before deciding.
Council members and the chief agreed to gather more written information and cost modeling, and the mayor said the council would continue the discussion at a future meeting so residents could review the numbers and service-level details.
