Former mayor of Berkeley and state Sen. Jesse Arreguín announced Thursday morning that $1 million in state funding will go to the city of Berkeley to enhance the city’s 911 dispatch. The allocation was approved with the September state budget.
Berkeley dispatchers respond to all 911 calls throughout the city, including fire and police incidents. In an interview after the conference, Arreguín called the dispatch the “nervous center of Berkeley’s public safety response.”
Berkeley Deputy Police Chief Jen Tate said at the conference the funding will go toward upgrading equipment dispatch consoles. These upgrades would help dispatchers efficiently manage calls, as well as coordinate emergency response with the police and fire departments.
“That can mean a clear picture in a dangerous situation, better coordination between responding units or getting essential information to someone providing life-saving care, giving our dispatchers effective, reliable tools to support their work,” Tate said.
Berkeley Police Department Communications Center manager Erin Netz added that much of the center’s equipment has not been replaced since dispatch moved into the building. According to Tate, that move took place 25 years ago, in 2001.
The allocated funding will also support a dedicated training room that would facilitate instructional services for dispatchers.
Tate said dispatchers handle emotionally demanding calls and frequently work up to 16-hour shifts.
“Investing in training and employee wellness supports our efforts to retain dispatchers, strengthen staffing and reduce the strain of those extended shifts,” she said.
Tate said in an interview the exact allocation of the funds committed by the state has not been finalized yet. However, Berkeley Fire Chief David Sprague said the city has previously conducted a comprehensive assessment of dispatch needs.
“We are as close to shovel-ready with these projects as we could be,” Sprague said.
California requires 90% of 911 calls to be answered within 15 seconds, and 95% are answered within 20 seconds — standards that Arreguín said Berkeley meets. He added that funding is needed to ensure the city continues to meet those standards in the future.
This $1 million award is part of broader efforts to improve emergency services in the region. A total of $5 million has been awarded for regional emergency and community services, Arreguín said.
The grant builds upon funding provided by Measure FF, passed by Berkeley voters in 2020, which imposed a parcel tax that provides $8.5 million in annual funding for public safety services, including emergency response.
According to Mayor Adena Ishii, who attended the press conference, this is the largest public safety-related state grant that Berkeley has received since she became mayor.
“In Berkeley, our dispatchers handle about 180,000 calls a year,” Ishii said in a press release associated with Thursday’s event. “They’re our first first responders, and while most of us have never met them, their work makes a difference when it matters most.”