The City of Geary isn’t sure centralized emergency dispatch is working for them anymore.
The malfunction became apparent when multiple fights broke out at Geary High School the day before Christmas break.
There had been some trouble the night before outside a home basketball game with Binger-Oney. As a brawl ensued, both Geary PD and Blaine County sheriff’s deputies responded. According to officers on the scene, vehicles were damaged and there were some serious injuries. Because of a mismatch in the recordings and the written reports from various officers, none of the parents or students face prosecution, which has fueled anger going forward.
Early the next day Geary Police Chief J.J. Stitt met with Geary Superintendent Sean Buchanan. By 11:30 a.m. the residual anger from the previous evening spilled over and a fight broke out between two students. The school’s student resource officer – SRO- broke up the fight and transported the students to the police department to give statements.
The SRO, Jonathan De-Jesus, had been a Geary police officer. He was among the officers that quit en masse in October. However, Blaine County Sheriff’s Department quickly hired him, and the Geary School Board agreed to cancel its contract with the local PD and enter into a new contract with the county. This allowed DeJesus to remain at the school without a gap in coverage.
Because the contract is now with the county, the sheriff’s office is prioritized, and the city officers considered an assisting agency in school matters.
While the SRO was at the local police department taking statements, a second fight began at the high school. Weatherford dispatch called the chief on his cell phone, claiming they could not raise him on the radio, although there is a master radio at the police station.
Stitt sent officers to the school and went himself as well. However, when they arrived, dispatch sent the ‘disregard’ message. Stitt left an officer on site because the SRO was away from the school. During this incident, two students were injured seriously enough they were transported by ambulance to area hospitals.
When a third fight started at the high school, the SRO was back on site, but students, teachers and staff were dialing 9-1-1. No one hearing the calls was sure if this was a single incident or multiple actions.
At this point the school was locked down but again the local police were sent the ‘disregard’ message from dispatch.
“It was a chaotic mess that was getting out of hand,” Stitt said. When the police department was alerted a fourth time, officers went room to room to ensure everyone was safe and no one was hiding elsewhere in the school. The lockdown was ended and the students sent home by 2:30 p.m.
When Stitt was making his report Monday to the Geary City Council, the multiple ‘disregard’ responses were met with outrage.
“That’s ridiculous when children’s lives could be on the line,” said council member Kristy Miller.
“There is no doubt we are experiencing dispatch frustration,” Stitt replied.
Geary allocates $53,000 for dispatch through Weatherford. Acting Mayor Rocky Coleman pointed out that the cost of dispatching locally was prohibitive, reaching more than half a million dollars in the last year local dispatch was active.
Those costs include salary, benefits and overtime.
Miller said having centralized dispatch might be fine for other towns, but it wasn’t working for Geary.
“We have to investigate this,” she said. “What’s more important, money or lives?”
Stitt, for his part, doesn’t think it is a jurisdictional disagreement between the city and the county.
The disconnect, he said, is that the dispatchers in Weatherford don’t all know Blaine County and its towns like residents do. And they don’t have ties to the community.
“Locals know the callers and probably know where they are,” he pointed out.
“We need a different alternative to Weatherford,” Coleman opined.
Stitt asked permission to investigate alternatives and options and report them back to the council next month.
Council member Sandra Cleveland said “We have a legal and moral obligation to protect the children. The SRO can’t be afraid to call Geary PD.”
“This is a big issue,” Miller said. She wondered what the outcome would have been had there been a more serious situation at the school.
“Yes, ma’am, it is a serious issue. That’s why we need to address it before something more serious happens,” Stitt replied.
Meanwhile, there are Geary police officers at all games now.
“We’re taking care of the ball games just to make sure the city is safe.” Coleman said.
“We’ll keep the city safe and work out the details,” the chief said.