Strafford County Dispatch Center
Press Release

Dover, New Hampshire
September 24, 2004

Strafford County Sheriff Wayne M. Estes announced this date that he has entered into an agreement with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) and The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) to undergo the accreditation process for the Strafford County Dispatch Center.

Sheriff Estes oversees and provides communications and public safety services to fifteen agencies within the nine towns of Strafford County, including nine police departments, two fire departments, and three ambulance services as well as the Strafford County Sheriff’s Office. In addition, the Strafford County Dispatch Center provides around the clock monitoring of two dedicated 911 emergency telephone lines and is a designated secondary 911 dispatching location for the cities of Dover, Rochester and Somersworth.

The Strafford County Dispatch Center has a present staffing compliment of one supervisor, one assistant supervisor and seven communications specialists. Additional staffing levels are routinely increased based upon the need for extra coverage for planned special events or in the case of disasters and emergencies, additional personnel are called back through an established emergency recall standard operating procedure.

Sheriff Estes further announced that this formal accreditation process will involve addressing a total of two hundred and seventeen standards, of which one hundred and fifty one are mandatory, fifty four are optional, and nine are non-applicable due to the size of the agency. Of the fifty-four optional standards, the Sheriff’s Office will be required to meet at least eighty percent of this total, or approximately forty-four. The filing of the application for accreditation starts a two-year window of compliance of which the first twelve months are a self-assessment phase.

The Sheriff has assigned four members of his staff to this accreditation process. Deputy Sheriff James W. Rowe, Sr. will act as the accreditation manager for the project. Deputy Rowe, Sr. is a retired Captain from the Dover, NH Police Department, a retired Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety for the University of Massachusetts Lowell Police Department and is currently a Co-Department Head for the Criminal Justice Department at the New Hampshire Technical Institute. Deputy Rowe, Sr. has forty plus years of law enforcement and public safety experience.

The Public Safety Communication Supervisor for the Strafford County Dispatch Center, Janet F. Eldridge becomes the second member of the Sheriff’s accreditation team. Supervisor Eldridge started her career with the Somersworth Police Department in 1974 before joining the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Estes promoted her to her present position in January of 2004. Her expertise, training, and longevity as a member of the Sheriff’s Office will be an asset to addressing and complying with the rigorous and non-compromising requirements that need to be adhered to at every stage of this process.

Executive Assistant to the High Sheriff, Cathleen A. Taylor will add her expertise and experience gained through her twenty- six plus years of business skills to the accreditation team. Cathie oversees and supervises the office Staff at the Sheriff’s Office, its daily business activities, which include budgeting, record maintenance, payroll, policy and procedure review and formulation, statistical review and analysis, and support for the Strafford County Dispatch Center. Ms. Taylor’s educational background, experience in the field of finance and expertise in computer science will enhance and assure the success of the accreditation review.

Strafford County Communications Technician James R. Andrews rounds out the accreditation committee. Jim Andrews is well known to the citizens of Strafford County having been in the field of communications, both public and private since 1974. He joined the Sheriff’s Office in April of 2004 and brings to his new position of support to the Dispatch Center a varied and vastly knowledgeable technical background. His input in the accreditation process will be most valuable and will enhance the capability of the accreditation team to address and comply with the ever-increasing technological advances present in video, IT and RF technology. Mr. Andrews was the owner of Communication Specialists Company, formerly of Broadway in Dover, NH prior to accepting his present position.

Sheriff Estes concluded his announcement by addressing several benefits of undergoing the accreditation process. He named benefits such as providing better and more responsive public services to the citizens of the county, being accredited will control liability insurance costs, will provide a stronger defense to the County of Strafford against civil lawsuits along with a greater level of accountability within his agency. Additionally, the process will be a public acknowledgement and verification of excellence for the Strafford County Dispatch Center.

Once successfully concluded, the Strafford County Dispatch Center will be the first public safety communication center in the State of New Hampshire to be nationally accredited and possibly the first in the six New England States.