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Sheriff and dispatch report: shootings, 911 refresh costs, and staffing concerns
Summary
Sheriff briefed the board on recent shooting incidents and dispatch gave an update on an expensive 911 system refresh; staff noted a large vendor quote and offered an option to spread payments over five years while sheriff urged citizens to report suspicious activity.
The sheriff and county dispatch staff updated the board on public-safety issues, including multiple reported shooting incidents in towns and an expensive planned refresh of the county 911 system.
Supervisor and public comments recounted recent shootings and near-miss incidents in Crewe and Blackstone; the sheriff said investigators would follow up and urged residents to report suspicious activity and dispatch logs confirmed the calls. "If we get out there, we catch them, we're gonna charge them," the sheriff said, urging community reporting.
Separately, dispatch staff described a planned 911 refresh: previous refreshes cost roughly $195,000 (completed in 2020) and current vendor quotes for new servers and hardware were substantially higher (Motorola quote of $367,000 reported by staff). The maintenance provider offered a five-year payment plan as an option (about $37,000 a year) and staff said a grant of $200,000 might cover part of the cost; the board asked staff to shop other vendors and check grant and budget options before a September warranty deadline.
