The Administrative Services Division is made up of a Lieutenant, two Sergeants, and four Officers who serve as the Communications Room OIC, along with nine civilian dispatchers. In addition, two special trained Animal Control Officers are assigned to this Division.
The Communications Center is staffed by nine (9) Dispatchers working rotating overlapping shifts, as well as, a police officer for each squad and is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days week, including Holidays. The Communications Center handles all 9-1-1 calls placed by landline inside Cheltenham Township. Cell phone callers are initially answered at the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center in Eagleville, PA. Cheltenham Dispatchers also answer all non-emergency calls placed to the police station. Communications Center personnel dispatch police personnel to all emergency and non-emergency incidents. They also dispatch Emergency Medical Services and Fire Services as needed.
The Dispatchers and Police Officers have extensive training in many different areas, including how to handle certain incidents and the computer systems that contain all complaint information. One of those computer systems is the Montgomery County Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) computer. This computer handles all police, fire and medical calls inside Montgomery County. The incidents entered into the computer are automatically sent to the appropriate department for dispatch. The Communications Center has access to the state computer (CLEAN), which contains all the Wanted Persons, Missing Persons, stolen autos, guns & articles reported in all states within the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. It also has all registered vehicles, driver’s licenses and guns. The Communications Center Personnel has access to the Pennsylvania State DMV records to access driver’s license photos. Cheltenham Police Radio also has the ability to monitor and communicate with surrounding police department’s radio transmissions including Abington Police, Jenkintown Police, and the Philadelphia Police.
The Communications Center was remodeled in the summer of 2005. New computer equipment was installed, as well as a new 9-1-1 Computerized Phone system. Everything is housed on new electronic furniture, which was purchased to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Cheltenham Township Police Department has an Animal Control Unit consisting of two Animal Control Officers (ACO’s). The ACO’s respond to most animal complaints, including but not limited to barking dogs, stray dogs, neighborhood dogs running at large, animal bites and follow up on most animal complaints that are filled with police when the ACO’s are off duty. The ACO’s have an active working relationship with other ACO’s in the area and the Roslyn SPCA, where most of the unclaimed stray animals are taken when they are not claimed by an owner, as well as the Pennsylvania State Game Commission and Dog Warden.