City moves forward with agreement to consolidate 911 dispatch with county

During Tuesday’s meeting of the Picayune City Council, the council voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with Pearl River County for the purpose of consolidating 911 dispatch operations. This agreement will set in motion the implementation of a consolidated dispatch center at the county building on Goodyear Blvd in Picayune.

Picayune Mayor, Dr. Ed Pinero, was pleased with the agreement and what it means to all residents in the county.

“This is a great day for Pearl River County and the city of Picayune. Not only is it going to be a cost savings for all of our citizens, but I believe this technology will be responsible for saving someone’s loved one or one of our public safety officer’s lives. Nothing means more to me than people’s safety, and I believe this is a great move by the Picayune City Council and the Board of Supervisors,” Pinero stated after Tuesday’s meeting.

Last month, the City of Poplarville approved a similar agreement, which with Picayune’s agreement, will bring all three law enforcement agency dispatching onto the same software for 911 call handling, dispatching, records management, jail management, and evidence management.

Two weeks ago, the city of Picayune entered into a separate agreement to move their jail operations under the control of Pearl River County at the Millard facility.

Councilman Wayne Gouguet, who has advocated for the consolidation of the dispatch and jail operation for years, was very pleased with this move by the city to work together with the county.

“These are exciting times to see the county and the city jointly moving the 911 call system forward for the people of Pearl River County. This is truly a huge step forward for our emergency responders,” Gouguet stated.

The timeline for implementation of the system is estimated to take approximately six months to have all components up and running.

WRJW will have a detail explanation of what this move will mean for the residents and first responders of Pearl River County during tomorrow’s news report.