East Providence opens modernized public safety dispatch center

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — East Providence leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate the opening of its new state-of-the-art dispatch center.

The station house, located in the city’s Rumford section, was built in 2001 and equipped with the latest technology available at the time, but it was never used, according to Mayor Bob DaSilva.

“We as a community always want to try to put new things in place for our residents, but sometimes the funding is just not there,” he said.

Now, thanks to nearly half a million dollars in ARPA funding, the city was able to update the technology and will soon put the dispatch center to use.

“We’ve been using those funds to make improvements to our water infrastructure, and now our public safety communications infrastructure,” DaSilva added.

The center now meets the requirements from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure all employees’ needs are met.

“The demands and expectations placed on communications centers and those who work inside of it have never been greater,” Police Chief Christopher Francesconi said. “Thousands and thousands of calls for service are processed every year in this room. This facility is ready to meet those needs for many years to come.”