The Knox County Regional Communications Center in Rockland will close because of a shortage of staff, the Courier-Gazette reported.
The news came to light at a Thursday meeting of the Knox County Commissioners and Knox County Budget Committee.
The communications center currently has four dispatchers and one dispatch supervisor, compared with a budget for 10 dispatchers and three supervisors, according to the Courier-Gazette. Officials at the meeting cited low pay and long hours with few days off as reasons that dispatchers have left.
Calls placed to 911 from Knox County will be transferred to the Waldo County Regional Communications Center in Belfast. Public safety officials who attended the Thursday meeting said this will result in slower response times and less information being transmitted to first responders, according to the Courier-Gazette.
Knox County officials weren’t immediately available to comment on whether a date has been set for the closure of the communications center.