It was during a recent conversation with Chief Noel Gil (Sweetwater Police Department and retired FBI) that the lightbulb went off. We were discussing the operational challenges faced by agencies in his region, and he shared a sobering realization: some neighboring departments were still maintaining independent dispatch centers solely to re-key CAD data already captured at the PSAP. When Chief Gil ran the numbers on what that practice was truly costing — factoring in staffing, overtime, turnover and risk — he found the expenses to be far more astronomical than most agency leaders ever anticipated. And the price wasn’t just measured in dollars.
That conversation has stuck with me because it underscores a much broader issue in our industry: agencies across the country are still spending precious taxpayer dollars to manually re-enter 911 call notes from a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) CAD into their own agency-specific CAD, rather than investing in a bi-directional interface that could automate and streamline the entire process.
Let’s break down the real costs of this approach, and why agencies may be paying a far higher price — both fiscally and in terms of officer safety — than they realize.
1. The true cost of staffing: It’s never just two people
Many agencies underestimate the cost of operating even a modest 2-position dispatch center. On paper, it sounds manageable — just two dispatchers, right? But let’s break it down.
There are 168 hours in a week. Covering two consoles across all shifts means: 2 positions x 168 hours = 336 hours/week of required coverage
One full-time dispatcher at 40 hours/week only covers a fraction of that. To maintain consistent operations without excessive overtime, you realistically need 10 dispatchers, plus 3 supervisors for shift oversight, training, and relief.
But staffing isn’t static.
911 dispatch turnover is brutal. National attrition rates range from 20–30%, and in some agencies, even higher. That means:
- You’ll replace 2–3 dispatchers annually
- Not every hire makes it — many candidates fail background checks, struggle with the pace, or wash out under pressure
- It takes at least 6 months to fully train and sign off a new dispatcher
- During that time, a certified CTO (trainer) must be paired with them for every shift, effectively doubling your staffing requirement
The hidden cost? Enormous.
- Training time = productivity loss
- CTO staffing = overtime and burnout risk
- Cost to hire, train, and onboard a dispatcher is conservatively $20,000–$25,000 per trainee
- With 3 new hires/year, you’re spending $60,000–$75,000 annually just on turnover
Combine that with your core staffing:
- 10 dispatchers @ $90K = $900,000
- 3 supervisors @ $110K = $330,000
- Add turnover, coverage, holidays, sick time = $1.5M–$1.6M/year
All to maintain a small 2-position dispatch desk — primarily to manually re-enter data that already exists in the PSAP’s CAD system.
2. Duplication of effort: Manual entry in a digital age
What are these highly paid dispatchers doing with their time? In many agencies, they’re manually re-entering call data that’s already been processed by the PSAP CAD.
Even in the best-run operations, this re-entry takes time. Critical minutes may pass between a 911 call being received and the responding officer receiving actionable information. In public safety, where seconds can save lives, this lag is unacceptable.
Worse yet, manual data entry opens the door to:
- Address errors
- Misclassified call types
- Incomplete or omitted narrative notes
Each of these errors has the potential to escalate field risk and degrade the quality of incident reporting. If that information never reaches the responding officer — or worse, is inaccurate — the consequences can be devastating.
Agencies that re-key CAD data often cite “control” as the reason. But what they’re really buying is duplicated labor, reduced accuracy, and increased liability.
3. The smarter alternative: Bi-directional CAD interfaces
Now contrast that with a bi-directional CAD interface between the PSAP and your agency’s system. Whether you use Motorola, Hexagon, CentralSquare, or Mark43, these integrations allow for real-time sharing of call data, updates, unit statuses, and timestamps.
While an interface may carry an upfront cost (typically $100,000–$200,000), the return on investment is clear:
- Eliminates manual re-entry
- Improves officer response time
- Reduces staffing demands
- Enhances data consistency and accuracy
Agencies that implement a bi-directional interface often recoup their investment within 12–24 months, simply by avoiding overtime, hiring, and training costs—not to mention the downstream benefits of improved field safety and faster call resolution.
4. Officer safety: The most critical cost of all
Let’s be honest — no amount of budget justification is worth risking the life of an officer.
When updates are delayed, critical context may be missed: a suspect still on scene, a weapon mentioned in a follow-up call, a medical condition that changes the response. These aren’t hypotheticals; they’re real-world scenarios that happen every day.
I’ve spoken to officers who’ve rolled up on scenes thinking it was a standard welfare check only to discover too late that the caller had reported suicidal threats with access to firearms. The note was entered in the original CAD narrative, but never made it to their MDT in time.
Chief Gil said it best: “If you’re spending a million dollars a year just to be late to the call, you’ve made the wrong investment.” That’s not operational inefficiency, that’s avoidable danger.
5. Control vs. coordination
Many agencies hesitate to give up their standalone centers out of fear of losing control. But in today’s environment, control doesn’t mean going it alone—it means establishing smart, governed interoperability.
With the right interface, you don’t lose visibility — you gain it. Supervisors can still monitor call flow, dispatch assignments and unit statuses in real time. You still control your fleet and your response — but now with better information and fewer delays.
Agencies that embrace this model are:
- More agile during critical incidents
- Better positioned for mutual aid
- Less vulnerable to staffing crises
- More fiscally responsible to taxpayers
Conclusion: The courage to reassess
If your agency is still investing in standalone dispatch solely to re-key PSAP call data, it’s time to reassess the return on that investment. The dollars don’t lie — and neither do the risks.
Thanks again to Chief Noel Gil for sparking this conversation. His observations reminded me that public safety leaders don’t just need better tools — they need better math and the courage to act on it.
Let’s stop paying for delay. Let’s invest in speed, accuracy, safety — and sustainability.
