http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/may/16/spokane-lays-off-10-dispatchers-as-it-considers-jo/
A LITTLE BACKGROUND:
https://examplepro.me/2018/11/15/run-city-run/
https://examplepro.me/2018/11/21/9-1-1-emergencyjust-the-facts-please/
https://examplepro.me/2018/11/27/run-city-runpart-twothe-short-version/
Let me just add to this quote from Karen Stratton in Rebecca White’s story.
“She said several council members are also concerned that the money used to pay for SREC operations, which comes from a one-tenth of 1% tax Spokane County voters passed in 2017, is only designated for new radios and communication towers.”
You are exactly correct Council Member Stratton, but it goes well beyond that from the standpoint of how taxpayers dollars are spent, including how much money to date has been spent by SREC (Formerly SPOCOM) including the amount spent to lay the cables to the proposed new sight and the staffing costs of SREC/SPOCOM.
One of my many character flaws is that I get very suspicious when a government organization supported by taxpayers dollars changes its name.
Another thing that makes me suspicious is when a government organization doesn’t keep the minutes of their meetings up to date so the public can see how their tax dollars are being wasted.
https://www.spokanecounty.org/1149/Emergency-Services-Communications-Policy
https://www.spokanecounty.org/AgendaCenter/Emergency-Services-Communications-Policy-18
Here is a link to the last publicly available SREC minutes:
Ooops…Brandi Peetz missed yet another meeting…who would have guessed.
Anyone who took the time to go back and study all the minutes of SREC/SPOCOM would easily identify that it has been a CLUSTER from the beginning, and there is no accounting of where they have spent all of our money.
Anyone with any sense before making any decisions, including laying off staff like Teresa Sanders and Mayor Condon have done would request that an audit of SREC/SPOCOM be done which very easily could be a predictor of how tax dollars would be spent for an emergency communications center by the same people who entirely control SREC/SPOCOM.
Let me just also add to this quote from Karen Stratton in Rebecca White’s story.
“Stratton said she also is concerned that there may not be enough money from the tax to pay for the communication centers and emergency communications infrastructure long-term.”
Exactly right Council Member, but how could you possibly project long-term costs when you don’t have a clue because of all the secrecy of what the costs of this CLUSTER will be in the next two years let alone “long-term”?
SOME MORE BACKGROUND:
“Reinke recently retired as the director of the Deschutes County 911 Service District, where police officers have faced emergency communication issues for months after the county switched from an old radio system to a new digital system. Police filed an Occupational Safety and Health complaint in December, saying the new system performed so poorly it was putting lives at risk.”
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/aug/30/city-council-dispatchers-say-concerns-should-be-ad/
Yes, indeed Teresa Sanders and Mayor Condon would like people to completely forget about the past failures of Steve Reinke, even though they are very easy for reporters to document.
https://examplepro.me/2018/11/21/9-1-1-emergencyjust-the-facts-please/
One would think that Steve Reinke who is the Executive Director at Spokane Regional Emergency Communications would want to show up during Spokane City Council Study Sessions when SREC/SPOCOM is a topic for study…but he doesn’t and the study sessions and the input is limited to Mayor Condon, Teresa Sanders, and of course Gavin Cooley (Affectionately known around City Hall as GFG).
Why doesn’t Reinke show up? Maybe it is because the CC might ask some tough questions?
Of Course, SREC/SPOCOM and Reinke made it very plain to the City Council that they don’t want the City Council to know anything or representation from elected officials other then of course…hold your horses…their “subject matter expert” Ozzie Knezovich.
Mayor Condon, Teresa Sanders, as well as Chief Brian Collins would just love to have the public and the City Council believe that all the Fire Chiefs are on board with everything SREC/SPOCOM does, but nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact the Inland Empire Fire Chiefs Association, is not on board with everything SREC/SPOCOM is doing and want any questions the City Council might have for them to go directly through them unfiltered by SREC/SPOCOM apparently because of some issues with trust.
https://www.iefca.org/
There is absolutely no question in my mind that this entire taxpayer funded CLUSTER is being pushed by the Spokane County Commissioners with the assistance of Mayor David Condon, who by the way will be looking for another job pretty soon (County Commissioner?), Teresa Sanders, GFG, and a “subject matter expert”.
“I want someone who has a full understanding of a metro-policing model,” Condon said. “I think this is a good time to relaunch the search.”
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jun/02/mayor-eyes-metro-model/
Buffalo Brian Breen 