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June 5, 2004Sheriff used 911 money suitablyReview board did find some problemsByRecord-Eagle staff writer KALKASKA - Dispatchers should not leave phones unattended when they take breaks and the sheriff's department needs to better track how 911 surcharge money is spent, according to a state review. But a review board from the Emergency Telephone Service Committee, which oversees county dispatch centers, found no evidence the Kalkaska sheriff's department misappropriated 911 surcharge money. The county's central dispatch became the subject of a state review after a former dispatcher questioned the sheriff's department's management of dispatch and alleged she was fired after she complained. Margaret Bull, who has sued the county, said dispatchers were forced to leave 911 unattended when they took breaks, were forced to type reports for police officers, and that the 911 supervisor was a sheriff's sergeant who spent more of his time on the road than attending to 911 duties. Those allegations attracted the attention of the ETSC because state law requires 911 surcharge money to be dedicated to dispatch centers. The ETSC report found several of Bull's allegations to be accurate, but the review board found nothing inappropriate about the way Sheriff Jerry Cannon oversees the 911 budget. Undersheriff Billy Spencer, who is leading the department while Cannon is away on military service, did not return a message seeking comment. Paul Rogers, ETSC chairman, said the review determined that the county pays more to dispatch than it receives in return, but that the county must be able to better account for the funding. Enrico Schaefer, an attorney who represents Bull in her lawsuit, said he believes an audit of the dispatch operations is necessary. The review board found the county lacked a policy to ensure that Kalkaska's central dispatch would be staffed at all times.
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