After months of technical difficulties, Sandoval County’s new public safety dispatch center is being all it can be.
Since it opened July 1, the Public Safety Emergency Communications Center of Sandoval County had been beset by reliability issues, with most calls being picked up by Rio Rancho dispatchers.
County Manager Wayne Johnson announced at Wednesday’s county commission meeting the dispatch center is now fielding all 911 and non-emergency calls within its jurisdiction.
A county news release issued after the meeting states the center’s diminished functionality was due to technical issues with equipment vendors, which have now been resolved.
Johnson said in the release that county dispatchers have been assisting callers since July, 911 calls had to be transferred over from Rio Rancho.
“We appreciate the assistance of the city Dispatch Center during this transitional time,” Johnson said. “Collaboration is essential within the public safety community.”
The new dispatch center became necessary when the city of Rio Rancho withdrew from a regional emergency communications system. The Sandoval County Regional Emergency Communications Center, which handled emergency calls for the entire county, operated from a city-owned building and was run by Rio Rancho staff.
Deputy City Manager Peter Wells informed the Sandoval Signpost by email that since July 1, when the county said the dispatch center was “fully operational,” Rio Rancho dispatchers handled 5,883 county-related 911 calls, which comprised 31% of the total number of 911 calls they answered.
Wells said the updated county dispatch center was switched over Wednesday and the system has so far been stable, meaning Rio Rancho dispatchers are no longer having to answer all those calls.
The city in November 2023 announced its intention to withdraw from the regional system, alleging violations of the state Inspection of Public Records Act (resulting in a lawsuit), failure to appropriately elect board officers and flaws in the joint powers agreement governing the system’s operation.
A letter from City Manager Matt Geisel also said the agreement and JPA board were no longer functional.
The new dispatch center is a joint operation of Sandoval County, the Village of Corrales, the Town of Bernalillo and the Pueblo of Santa Ana.
The release states the new center offers Sandoval County a dedicated 911 response that is tailored to the unique needs of small towns and rural communities. The non-emergency phone number is 505-898-7585.