Fallsburg fires all four of its police dispatchers

FALLSBURG, NY — Fallsburg fired its four civilian police dispatchers Wednesday, a move that blindsided dispatchers and union representatives, but which Supervisor Steve Vegliante said will save more than $300,000.

Police Chief Simmie Williams delivered the news during an 8:30 a.m. meeting, said fired dispatcher George Gibson. He and the other three dispatchers were then told to turn in their IDs and badges, said Gibson, who celebrated his 25-year anniversary on the job last month.

“We were like, you’ve got to be kidding,” he said. “Right now I’m still in a haze, because it just turned my world inside out.”

The abrupt firings came after months of discussion and an overture to the county about assuming the town’s dispatch duties, which will now by shared by officers, Vegliante said.

The dismissals partly reflect a changing role for the town’s dispatchers, he said. Dispatchers once ran license-plate inquiries and filed criminal complaints and accident reports, tasks computers have enabled officers to do, Vegliante said.

“It got to the point where the only thing (dispatchers) had to do was answer the phone,” he said.

He predicts the town will be able to use the savings to hire at least one additional police officer and maybe two. The fired dispatchers will also be given priority consideration for future openings, he said.

“It’s a lousy decision and not a fun thing to do,” Vegliante said. “But it’s the best thing to do, not just from a fiscal standpoint but from a safety standpoint.”

Brendan Pavese, a Fallsburg detective and president of the PBA, said he was just as shocked by the firings as the dispatchers, and is negotiating a severance package expected to include December’s salary and health insurance through January.

The union contacted its attorney and the state’s Civil Service Department. It was told the town followed proper procedures, he said. Pavese also said the loss of the dispatchers would not affect the number of officers on patrol.

“We’re going to do everything to serve and protect the public,” he said.

Gibson is preparing to file for unemployment benefits. He has been calling local companies about possible job openings. Their responses confirm what he already knows: it’s the wrong economy and wrong season for quickly finding work.

“I know that in the wintertime in Sullivan County, the job market is nil,” said Gibson. “The only other option is to look outside the county, and if you got to look outside the county, what’s the anchor to stay here?”

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