The City of Oak Creek's commitment to providing exceptional emergency dispatch services expands as they welcome South Milwaukee into their collaborative partnership. Approved by both Oak Creek and South Milwaukee Common Councils in December 2023, the intergovernmental agreement solidifies Oak Creek's role in offering emergency dispatch services to South Milwaukee, beginning in 2025. Oak Creek also renewed its agreement with the City of St. Francis through 2035.
The Oak Creek Dispatch Center offers capacity and resilience that South Milwaukee could not afford on its own. The partnership addresses challenges such as staffing shortages due to medical leave, where South Milwaukee had to redirect police officers to dispatch duties. Further, Oak Creek's capability to directly handle cell phone calls eliminates delays caused by the current transfer process through Milwaukee County.
The partnership aims for cost efficiency and increased staffing levels, with designated dispatchers for each jurisdiction's channels and shared resources. Committees with representatives from each jurisdiction will be created to provide input and recommendations to encourage additional collaboration.
Oak Creek Mayor Daniel Bukiewicz expresses enthusiasm about this collaboration, stating, "This intergovernmental agreement is a great example of communities working together to provide long-term solutions for essential services for its citizens. This ensures high-quality service 24/7, 365 days a year, all while sharing costs and providing long-term benefits for each community. I applaud Mayor Shelenske and the South Milwaukee Common Council for being proactive partners to better serve the residents of our communities."
“We are grateful to Mayor Bukiewicz, the City of Oak Creek, and the Oak Creek Police Department for their willingness to partner with us on emergency dispatch,” said South Milwaukee Mayor Jim Shelenske. “Through this agreement, South Milwaukee residents can feel confident that public safety has been enhanced and that they will continue to receive high-quality emergency response services.”
“The addition of South Milwaukee Fire and Police to the Oak Creek Dispatch Center will help solidify and strengthen the southeastern part of Milwaukee County, as we continue to work very well together, as we have for many years. This next step in cooperation will bring our professional dispatch services to South Milwaukee, just as we have built them up with St. Francis over the past ten years, to be more progressive,” said Oak Creek Police Chief Dave Stecker. “The collaboration will continue to make us all better as we continue to learn from each other and apply best practices to all three city’s police and fire departments. This intergovernmental agreement will furthermore enhance capacity at the Oak Creek Dispatch Center to help with the increasing calls from citizens and calls for service we all continue to see. This capacity, coupled with realized cost savings on equipment and technology, as well as the level of service we provide, is a very positive and successful outcome for all three communities.”
South Milwaukee Police Chief Bill Jessup adds, “The South Milwaukee Police Department strives to provide the best possible service to our community so we are excited to begin a partnership with Oak Creek that enhances public safety. The recent intergovernmental agreement between Oak Creek and South Milwaukee will provide more robust dispatch service, allow for a quicker response to emergency cellphone calls, and offer our citizens pre-arrival CPR instruction, a service that does not currently exist.”
He further notes, “Our dispatch staff have done a tremendous job over the years so we are also pleased that they will be offered the opportunity to continue their service as employees of Oak Creek’s Dispatch Center. I consider this a win for both communities.”
In addition to emergency dispatch services, South Milwaukee also contracts with Oak Creek for Information Technology services, ensuring a smooth transition in 2025 and reinforcing the collaboration between the two cities.
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