Southampton Police shuts down dispatch center due to staffing shortages

SOUTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – The Southampton Police Department will be transitioning to utilizing the Easthampton Public Safety dispatchers due to significant staffing shortages.

Easthampton dispatchers will be used to send Southampton police, fire and EMS to any calls they receive. To the public, this transition will be unnoticeable. The same phone lines will exist except that when you now call, it will either be directed to an Easthampton dispatcher or provide a list of options to leave a message.

Southampton Police Chief stated, “This was a difficult decision but necessary and we have been working on it for several months. Most importantly, I can assure that this will have no impact on emergency services to the Town.”

The Southampton Police Department lobby will remain unlocked for the community to come in and access services. A secured lockbox will be available to residents looking to return papers, forms or letters. The lockbox and voicemails will be checked several times a day by on-duty officers.

Residents will still be able to obtain accident reports and apply for a firearm license through the police department.

One big difference with this transition is Southampton police will no longer be issuing keys to public buildings. If you are looking for keys to town buildings such as the Norris school, Town Hall or the Conant Park Pavilion, you will need to contact the person in control of that building.