Melrose to Upgrade Police Station, 911 Communications Center

Mayor Rob Dolan recently discussed how the city will be upgrading the police station and 911 communications center.

The city plans to make $450,000 in improvements to the police station, including improving the work areas for dispatch, customer service and the detectives. The majority of the changes will take place on the second floor, as there will be new flooring, fresh paint and new furniture.

Meanwhile, the aging communications center will get an overhaul as well.

"The system we have right now is 30 years old," Dolan said of the current communications center during a Sept. 13 press conference at City Hall. "(The new system) is more reliable. It's got mapping capabilities which is what we want. We want to know where a call is coming from and at what time to manage manpower better."

Dispatchers will have a picture on screen of a house—not in real time—that they can use to have a better understanding of the property officers are responding to, according to Dolan.

Other upgrades planned for the communications center include:

• New radio system that complies with the FCC mandate
• New mobile radios in police cars to improve sound quality
• Improved signal and more repeaters means fewer radio dead spots
• Radio lines converted from phone lines to fiber—saves money on repairs
• Residents will see no change but system will be more reliable and up to date