Becker County Agrees to Add Additional 911 Dispatcher

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – The Becker County Commissioners have approved adding an additional full-time dispatcher after a group of Fire Chiefs in Becker County voiced concerns last month about the staffing levels at the county’s 911 dispatch center.

Becker County Sheriff, Todd Glander officially made the request during Tuesday’s commission meeting, “I feel there is a need to add one full-time based on the workload, our calls for service have gone up significantly since 2005; with traffic stops they’ve gone up 80%”.

Currently one dispatcher handles the majority of calls 2am-8am weekdays and 2am-10am on the weekends.

The additional dispatcher will cost the County nearly $67,000 ($43,794 in salary) per year. The County is hoping to offset some of the costs of a new hire, by providing dispatch services to surrounding counties or the White Earth Indian Reservation.