PPD now part of 911 central dispatch

PPD now part of 911 central dispatch

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The Philadelphia Police Department switched to the MSWIN radio system last week and is now receiving its dispatch from Neshoba County’s 911 Communications.

“At 9 a.m., Dec. 1, we switched over,” said Eric Lyons, police chief. “The transition was seamless. We had several calls this weekend. The officers are pleased with the transition and the new MSWIN radios.”

MISWIN is the state’s public safety communication system which is designed to provide 97% mobile area coverage statewide via multiple sites developed after Hurricane Katrina.

As for 911, the Philadelphia Police Department had its own radio dispatchers previously. If a 911 call came in for the Philadelphia Police, the the call was transferred to the police dispatchers, who then dispatched police.

“There aren’t any more transfers of calls from 911 to the police department,” Lyons said. “911 calls come directly from communications. That makes for quicker response time.”

The change had been in the works for several months.

The Neshoba County Board of Supervisors approved an interlocal agreement with the city in October. The city will pay the county $138,000 per year, or $11,500 per month. The city purchased the new radios at the cost of around $168,000.

The Philadelphia Fire Department and the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department are using the same radio system. It gives agencies the ability to let their officers talk directly with officers in other jurisdictions.

“In the past couple of weeks, we have pursued suspects into other counties (Winston, Leake and Scott counties),” Lyons said. “It would have been good to have had the MSWIN radio then.

“Instead of our dispatchers having to call the other county's dispatcher to advise them of the pursuit, now our officers are able to talk directly to their officers and give their exact location.

There are still people answering the telephone at the PD. The public can contact the Philadelphia police directly by calling 601-656-2131.






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