Robstown approves agreement to provide 911 dispatch services for Bishop area

A unanimous Robstown City Council vote clears the way for Bishop-area emergency agencies to move their 911 dispatch services.

BISHOP, Texas — Robstown City Council unanimously approved an agreement Wednesday night to provide 911 dispatch services for the Bishop area, clearing the final hurdle for a transition supporters say will improve emergency communications for residents and first responders.

The council voted 4-0 to approve the agreement. Two council members were absent. Because the vote was unanimous, Mayor Gilbert Gomez was not required to cast a tie-breaking vote.

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The action comes after the governing boards of Nueces County Emergency Services Districts No. 3 and No. 6, as well as the Bishop City Council, approved the change Tuesday.

“A few months ago I decided to go ahead and start a petition to see what the citizens said,” said Javier Carrillo, a commissioner with Nueces County Emergency Services District No. 3. “We had tremendous amount of people sign our petition and say that they want to change.”

MetroCom currently handles 911 operations throughout Nueces County, which is home to more than 350,000 residents and spans 839 square miles of land. Bishop joined the countywide dispatch system in 2022.

During his presentation to council, Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez said Emergency Services Districts 3 and 6 respond to a combined average of about three emergency calls per day, a volume he said Robstown’s dispatch center can easily absorb.

Carrillo said some first responders in the Bishop area have experienced delays when trying to communicate with dispatchers through MetroCom.

“I think they’re overextended,” Carrillo said. “We’ve had some issues where we’ve called on our radios and asked Metro Com for something, and they tell us to stand by because they’re on primary.”

Carrillo and Tamez both praised MetroCom’s work and emphasized the move was not intended as criticism of the countywide dispatch center.

“I understand their job is primarily Corpus Christi,” Carrillo said.

Instead, they say the agreement is aimed at providing a more localized dispatch option for the Bishop area.

“We want somebody that’s smaller that’s gonna be able to say, ‘hey, you’re just as important as our local area,'” Carrillo said. “And I think Chief Tamez and the Robstown Police Department will do that.”

Under the agreement, Emergency Services District No. 3, Emergency Services District No. 6 and the Bishop Police Department will each contribute $55,000 annually to Robstown for dispatch services.

The partnership will also provide access to technology used by the Robstown Police Department, including its Axon body camera system and automatic vehicle tracking apparatus.  

Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez said dispatchers can monitor officers’ body cameras in real time during critical incidents.

“If an officer is at a critical location by himself, awaiting backup, dispatcher is required to log into his body camera and watch him in real time,” Tamez said. “She can hear, she can see everything in real time.”

Tamez said the technology can provide crucial information during emergencies.

“If that officer’s shot and he’s unresponsive, he can’t get to his microphone in time,” Tamez said. “When you’re shot, every second counts, and she can provide that information, the update in real time to all the officers arriving.”

Carrillo said officials also explored partnering with neighboring Kingsville for dispatch services but ultimately chose not to pursue that option because Kingsville is outside Nueces County.