GOSHEN – The City of Middletown Police Department answers its own emergency 911 phone calls, but the Orange County shared services plan that is being developed could include the county’s takeover of the function. Emergency 911 calls for most municipalities in the county go directly to the county’s call center, but Middletown is one of the few still answering its own.
County Executive Steven Neuhaus said it is a strong possibility.
“It is one of the items that came up last week and namely because you have other municipalities that are being covered right now,” the county executive said. “Chester has been doing it for a long time. Tuxedo recently got out of the dispatching business, so it is something on the minds of the local leaders and it is something that I am sure we will be addressing in the future.”
Neuhaus said should the county take over the 911 emergency calls for Middletown and other municipalities, the county would pick up the tab.
Other shared services under consideration are a county takeover of municipal
assessors’ offices and countywide upgrade to emergency services
radio communications that would link all municipal police, fire and ambulance
corps togethe.
