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Oradell council hears proposal to move 911 dispatching to Bergen County PSOC
Summary
Oradell officials briefed the council July 28 on a proposal to shift the borough's emergency dispatching to Bergen County's Public Safety Operations Center (PSOC). Officials said the move could add redundancy and modernize systems, while residents raised concerns about losing an in-person desk officer and service continuity; no vote was taken.
Oradell officials presented a proposal July 28 to transition police, fire and emergency dispatching to the Bergen County Public Safety Operations Center (PSOC), describing potential operational benefits and tradeoffs and asking the council to review additional details before any decision.
Mayor James Coath opened the briefing by emphasizing that "There are no decisions being made by the council on this topic tonight," framing the meeting as an informational step. Police Chief Kanjemi led the presentation, telling the council "Oradell is not a PSAP" and walking through current operations: 9-1-1 calls route to county PSAPs (Paramus or Ridgewood) and the borough's public line and walk-ins are handled from the police headquarters today.
Chief Kanjemi said the county PSOC offers a unified computer-aided dispatch and records-management platform, county-funded maintenance and greater redundancy than the borough can sustain on its own. He told the council the shift could free an officer now posted at the desk to work on patrol and give the department more on-road presence. But presenters flagged tradeoffs: walk-in service would shift to a camera/intercom routed to the county, some local familiarity with recurring addresses could be lost, and the borough would face up-front licensing and equipment transition costs.
Council members pressed staff for follow-up information on staffing models, licensing and true recurring costs, and whether PSOC would dedicate a "pod" for Oradell during surge events. The chief said PSOC reallocates staff during spikes and that a full move would require careful planning. Mayor Coath closed by saying the council will seek written follow-up from public safety staff and continue the conversation at future meetings. "We'll be continuing this conversation, with more information at our next meeting," he said.
