What is on the Horizon for Prospective Employees?
Eastside Regional Communications Center – Bellevue Police Department
Kirkland Police Department – Communications

NORCOM
North-East King County Regional Public Safety Communications Center

 

Over the last several years, area City Managers began preliminary discussions about the regionalization of 911 Dispatch services.  This led to the formation of a steering committee comprised of representatives from the principal police and fire agencies on the east side of King County.  The steering committee has been meeting since 2004 to discuss the governance structure and operational needs to create a regional communications center.  In late 2007, the principal agencies signed an Inter Local Agreement agreeing to the formation of NORCOM.  NORCOM will consolidate and centralize public dispatch services under a partnership model.  It is anticipated NORCOM will begin operations in the second half of 2009. 

What does this mean to you as an applicant for a Dispatcher position at Eastside Regional Communications Center or Kirkland Police Department?

Once NORCOM becomes operational, employees of Eastside Regional Communications Center and Kirkland Police Department Communications will become NORCOM employees.  Existing bargaining unit agreements will be renegotiated under a new labor organization combining the employees of the guilds associated with Eastside and Kirkland.  Wages, health care, tuition reimbursement programs, etc, will all be subject to change based on the benefit package to be determined by NORCOM.  The Interim Executive Director for NORCOM, Chris Fischer, has indicated that her priority is the hiring of a Human Resources Manager to begin to establish these important elements of the NORCOM organization. 

The important thing to note is, while you will no longer be a City of Bellevue or City of Kirkland employee, you will be an employee of NORCOM – A Public Agency governed by the City Managers, Administrators, Mayors or Chiefs of the east King County principal agencies. 

If you have any questions, please talk to the hiring manager for your hiring process.