SHERIFF, FREEHOLDERS & NEPTUNE OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE REGIONAL 9-1-1 CENTER

Monmouth County officials are pleased to announce the creation of a new 9-1-1 regionalization center which will provide services to the shore area.

The 9-1-1 regional substation will be located at the Neptune Senior Center on Route 33 in Neptune Township. It will provide 9-1-1 services as well as police, fire and EMS dispatch services to Neptune Township, Neptune City, Asbury Park and Avon, with the plan to service additional towns in the future.

“This regional center is the ultimate shared service,” Sheriff Shaun Golden said. “With the growing population in Monmouth County, there is a need to provide these county services to shore towns and to promote public safety in the most cost effective manner.”

“The creation of this regional substation is the perfect plan for shared services in the shore area,” Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone said. “This is a big step toward increasing the availability and efficiency of the county’s public communications system to improve emergency communications.”

Monmouth County’s current 9-1-1 Communications Center, located in Freehold Township, provides 9-1-1 services to 45 towns, which include two military installations, dispatches for 10 police departments, 26 fire departments and 22 first aid squads. The county has outgrown that facility and no longer has enough space to accommodate additional towns.

A new state of the art 9-1-1 Communications Center will be built in Freehold Township as part of Monmouth County’s capital improvement plan.

“Meeting the public safety needs of our citizens is a proud tradition in our county,” Freeholder Lillian G. Burry said. “Maximizing our resources to fund this project will serve us well into the future.”

Sheriff Golden and Freeholder Arnone are visiting municipal officials to make them aware of the potential benefits of the regional communications center.

“This shared service will further our efforts to redirect our law enforcement resources,” said Neptune Township Mayor Kevin McMillan. “Many police hours are utilized to manage our communications division and public safety technology infrastructure. We can now re-establish our community policing efforts, and that’s important in times of fiscal constraints.”

The regional substation is expected to be in full operation by Labor Day and will be large enough to provide services to many shore towns.

“This is a great way in which government partnerships can work to continue providing top-notch services at an overall reduced cost,” Freeholder Arnone said. “This program produces considerable recurring savings to the towns and provides additional revenue for the county.”

“I look forward to this shared service,” said Sheriff Golden. “Taxpayers are looking for reduced spending, and sharing communications and technologies is an example of shared services that will deliver meaningful and significant savings.”