PUBLIC SAFETY

Atlantic County shares feasibility study on countywide 911 call center and dispatch

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – How long will Atlantic County be the “last piggie in the barn?”

The county held an information session Monday evening at the Tony Canale Training Center to share information gleaned from a grant-funded feasibility study prepared earlier this year by ADCOMM Engineering, LLC. The meeting room was packed with more than 100 dispatchers, firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians and municipal officials who gathered to hear about what the future of public safety in Atlantic County looks like.

The county first began discussing a countywide dispatch system 11 years ago, County Executive Dennis Levinson said.

“It didn’t go real well and it got ugly,” he said.

What comes from the feasibility study is up to municipal officials who will weigh in on what’s best for the safety of residents and costs to taxpayers.

“The number one concern is public safety, if it can be enhanced and do it cheaper, that’s the way it should go,” he said.

When the collaboration was first proposed, then-President of Stockton University Herman Saatkamp said he would like to see a dispatch center built on the Galloway Township campus and offered $6 million to build it, Levinson said.

He said doing it today will be a “heavy lift,” especially for municipalities that don’t join.

“Those who don’t come in will pay twice – they will have to pay for their own services and pay for the cost of building the new facility.”

Sherri Bush of ADCOMM prepared the feasibility study, which outlined preparations being made to implement the federal Next Generation 911, commonly called NG911 digital system currently being implemented nationwide to replace the inefficient analog system that has been used for years.

“This meeting is to share factual information to get you thinking and talking about the future of Atlantic County,” she said.

Atlantic County is the only county in the state that does not have a centralized dispatch system, she said.

“It’s the last piggie in the barn. It’s not deficient, it’s unique,” she said.

Currently 13 municipalities have dispatch systems with their own staffing and procedures using a CAD system. Problems with the system require dispatchers to make multiple calls over cellular phone service to dispatch mutual aid from other communities, which causes response time delays.

In September 2023, Margate experienced a 15-minute delay in response to a structure fire due to dispatchers having to make mutual aid calls to various other public safety organizations. In October last year, Longport also had a 15-minute delay when coordination between multiple jurisdictions slowed response time.

Both Chief Dan Adams of Margate’s paid fire department, and Chief Levon “Lefty” Clayton of Longport’s Volunteer Fire Department support a centralized dispatch center to streamline communication and mutual aid coordination.

“Each CAD entry adds time,” she said, and newer technologies can eliminate those delays. Additionally, GPS eliminates confusion when there are multiple streets with the same name.

Technology is the challenge, not the structure of the various public safety organizations, she said.

Implementing the federal NG911 system would likely cost $12-15 million for the county, and $1.5-$2.5 million for individual municipalities, she said.

“As technology changes, upgrades become necessary and can be cost-prohibitive. By reducing duplication and combining our resources we can save taxpayer dollars while continuing to ensure public safety,” Levinson said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon when the studies were posted on the county website.

Bush said there are federal, state, Homeland Security and Assistance to Firefighters grant opportunities that can be tapped to help with implementation costs.

The study looked at all municipalities participating with different models, including full centralization in one call center, fire and EMS centralized call-taking and dispatch, and hybrid or incremental centralization, with a goal to reduce operational delays, improve public safety and minimize the technical implementation burden on municipalities.

Bush said those present should read the study and accompanying cost analysis and consider long-term options before planning and implementation.

A centralized dispatch for the county would need to have 65 specialized workers who are cross-trained for police, fire and EMS dispatching, which would prevent burnout. The location of a state-of-the-art dispatch center needs to be determined, however, the regional Egg Harbor Township Public Safety Communication System, which currently provides dispatch services for Pleasantville, Northfield, Linwood and Longport, expressed interest in being a starting point for an expanded service.

Egg Harbor Township Police Chief Fred Spano said the county should start with his community’s operation and then grow to include other municipalities.

Egg Harbor City Council President Joseph A. Kuehner Jr., a life-member of the city’s Volunteer Fire Company, said the larger growth communities of Egg Harbor, Hamilton and Galloway townships could be the starting point for a countywide system. Egg Harbor City eliminated its call center years ago and joined the Township of Hamilton’s dispatch service, which has worked well at a lower cost, he said.

Levinson proposed creating a temporary dispatch center at the Canale Training Center, but the structure cannot be expanded and it is questionable if a second level could be added.

Sometimes, building a new facility is less costly than trying to retrofit an existing building, Bush said.

“We want to hear more from those in the room,” she said, but the county must obtain a greater level of commitment. “Take a leap of faith to investigate more.”

Bush defended a comment from the floor that the study is flawed because only eight of 13 dispatch centers currently operating in Atlantic County responded to an inquiry for data.

“Without knowing the costs, how do I bring this to my council,” Absecon Mayor Tommy Marrone asked. “We will need better numbers.”

“It’s not, build it and they will come, it’s, if you want it, we will build it,” Levinson said. “It’s economy of scale, and home rule is why we are in the highest taxed state in the nation.”

Levinson encouraged all fire, police, EMS and elected municipal officials to thoroughly review the studies and join in discussions.

“This is not something that can be accomplished in short order, but the longer we wait the more expensive it becomes,” Levinson said. “Let’s educate ourselves to make the most informed decision in the best interests of the residents we serve.”