LakeComm, which aims to consolidate emergency dispatch centers across Lake County under one roof, is on track to begin some level of operations this summer, officials say.
Seven dispatch centers will be transitioned into the new 37,000-square-foot Regional Operations and Communications Facility in Libertyville over several weeks, possibly by July, according to LakeComm Executive Director Jason Kern. Those are the Gurnee, CenComm, FoxComm, Lake Zurich, Vernon Hills, Mundelein and Countryside Fire dispatch centers.
Plans for the consolidation of Lake County’s 911 services go back more than a decade. LakeComm is the culmination of those efforts, merging several regional Public Safety Answer Points (PSAP) into one dispatch center. PSAPs are 911 call centers that handle emergency calls for law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services.
Kern said there is still a “significant amount” of technology requiring installation through the end of May, although it will be contingent on a variety of factors, including equipment supplies, and the potential impacts on the supply chain from tariffs.
There are currently 26 LakeComm members representing communities and organizations across Lake County, and Kern said he envisions “additional agencies and dispatch centers in the years to come.”
A notable missing partner has been the Sheriff’s Office, which pulled out of the consolidation last year. However, talks have been ongoing, representatives for both groups said.
According to Deputy Chief Chris Covelli, while the Sheriff’s Office’s position remains “unchanged,” it continues to be “collaborative and communicative.” Covelli said Sheriff’s Office officials have met with LakeComm representatives and Kern, and remain “open-minded and engaged in discussions that prioritize public safety.”
“Our priority is making responsible decisions that best serve the safety of the hundreds of thousands of residents to whom we provide direct law enforcement services, as well as the entire county, which benefits from other services provided by the Sheriff’s Office,” Covelli said in a statement.
Last fall, LakeComm board members expressed concerns over future staff numbers. Kern said officials are seeing a high degree of interest from currently employed public safety telecommunicators, and expect to see lots of transfers during the transition.
Kern said that will provide the benefit of reducing needed training, as the new facility will have similar or even identical systems to the currently existing dispatch centers. LakeComm is also working on attracting new staff, he said.
Part of the transition process early on will be determining how many people will be needed to keep up with calls.
“We’re going to look really hard at the data to see what are the phone calls, what are the call processing times,” he said. “Do we have the right number? Do we need to increase?”
Kern said the consolidation offers numerous benefits for the Lake County community and emergency responders. Bringing numerous dispatches under one roof will allow a “significant amount” of “interoperability,” allowing better awareness, communication when addressing incidents that cross jurisdictions and reducing transfer times.
“It’s a benefit for the caller because often, when they’re calling, it’s the worst day of their life,” he said.
The merger will also help reduce equipment costs, which have only grown since the pandemic, by cutting down on seven separate phone systems with their own servers, generators and supporting equipment.
