Decorah Police Department is mulling moving the Dispatch Center

Decorah Police Chief Bill Nixon says his department is studying a proposal to move its communications dispatching center to another location in the Law Enforcement Center.

The current layout requires dispatchers to greet the public and do other clerical jobs, says Nixon.  Moving the communications room to the back of the Law Enforcement Center building would remove these distractions from the dispatchers, allowing them to concentrate on a job that is "far more complex than it used to be," says Nixon.

Under the proposal--which is still being studied--clerical staff would be moved out front to handle contact with members of the public.  Nixon says moving the communications center to the back of the building would also have the advantage of improved privacy when officers are discussing issues with dispatchers.