Stanislaus County and the city of Modesto have agreed to extend their joint powers authority (JPA) for 911 dispatch services through the end of 2026. The extension follows a year marked by disagreements between the county sheriff and other local leaders, as well as scrutiny from a civil grand jury.
On Tuesday, both the Modesto City Council and the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved measures to continue the Stanislaus Regional 911 JPA from January 1 to December 31, 2026. The agency operates a dispatch center that handles emergency calls and coordinates responses for Modesto police, the Sheriff’s Department, and several fire districts.
Buck Condit, chairman of the county board and a member of the dispatch center commission, said Thursday that officials are preparing to launch a new computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) system in mid-January. The system was purchased from CentralSquare to replace an older one.
There has been disagreement between law enforcement agencies over this $1.7 million CAD upgrade. While most county officials and Modesto police support CentralSquare’s system, Sheriff Jeff Dirkse has worked with Oracle Corp. on developing a separate platform tailored for his department’s needs, including records and jail management.
Earlier this year, after plans to leave the JPA in favor of partnering with Ceres on a separate dispatch center did not materialize, the Sheriff’s Department agreed to compromise by allowing both Oracle’s and CentralSquare’s systems to operate at Stanislaus Regional 911. According to Dirkse’s staff report submitted Tuesday, an interface connecting both systems is expected within seven months after CentralSquare goes live.
This CAD-to-CAD interface is considered important because it will eliminate delays caused by transferring calls when ambulance services are needed. Since its creation in 1999, SR911 has managed regional emergency response coordination; however, Modesto and Stanislaus County have collaborated on these services since the 1970s.
Dirkse did not comment on extending the JPA agreement.
A civil grand jury review earlier this year found that “the Regional 911 dispatch center was ‘fraught with divisive controversy.'” In its June report, it described the Sheriff’s Department as “an outlier among partners in SR911.” The report also stated: “Political tactics, threats of litigation, personal attacks and [the] sheriff’s refusal to work with key officials including dispatch center director Kasey Young had damaged relationships.”
On Tuesday, supervisors authorized an $84,600 purchase from CentralSquare for extra software licenses so Sheriff’s Department staff can use that system temporarily next year. According to Dirkse’s staff report: “The additional licenses are for patrol supervisors, records personnel, contract cities and staff in the Threat Assessment Center.” He also noted that they do not expect this license agreement with CentralSquare will last beyond one year.
Dirkse maintains that his deal with Oracle will deliver an advanced CAD platform at no upfront cost for Stanislaus County.
