City of Hoboken announces consolidation of Public Safety Dispatch Operations; Police promote five of their own

The City of Hoboken and the Hoboken Department of Public Safety today announced plans to merge the City's police, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) dispatch operations. The move will bring emergency communications personnel together in one location to improve efficiency and coordination, streamline operations, and reduce future costs.

Over the coming months, dispatchers will begin cross-training to handle calls across all public safety divisions. Combining operations in one dedicated location will increase efficiency and reduce response times, especially when multiple public safety agencies are needed at one call. It will also save taxpayer money through attrition, as positions become vacant through retirements or resignations are not backfilled.

"This is an important step toward strengthening communication and coordination among our public safety divisions and making the best possible use of our resources," said Mayor Emily B. Jabbour. "I'm grateful to all of our emergency services and Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante for working together toward making our system more efficient, and ultimately, help save lives."

Under the current structure, 9-1-1 calls are received by an outside dispatch center, before being rerouted to local dispatchers with either Hoboken Police Department (HPD), Hoboken Fire Department (HFD), or EMS based on the call. The City hopes to build on the merger, and eventually establish a centralized emergency communications center, where all emergency calls would be received in Hoboken, and dispatched directly, without first being routed through an outside dispatch center.

"In medical emergencies, fires, and crimes in progress, every second counts so ensuring these incidents can be reported with just one phone call, will help improve response times and save lives," said Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante. "This is also a significant step towards modernizing our decades-old emergency communications structure, streamlining operations, and reducing costs by making better use of our existing public safety resources."

Also today, the Hoboken Police Department announced five promotions to backfill positions within the department. During a ceremony at City Hall, Sergeant Roary Miller was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and Police Officers Ramon Calderon, Roberto Cuevas, Christopher Barral, and Jesse Castellano were promoted to Sergeant.

"These superior officers have demonstrated their commitment to Hoboken and its residents through years of hard work and dedication," said Police Chief Steven Aguiar. "They are much needed in these positions and have earned the responsibility to take on these leadership roles. I'm confident they will continue to serve the residents of Hoboken with pride and professionalism."

The promotions aim to strengthen coverage within the department, as the new sergeants will remain active in the field, respond to calls for service, supervise officers directly, and maintain a visible presence in the community. Additionally, filling some of HPD's open supervisory positions is expected to lower overtime costs by reducing the need for current sergeants to work extra hours to cover responsibilities left by staffing gaps.

In addition to the promotions, HPD is in the process of hiring three new police officers who are currently attending the Hudson County Police Academy. These officers are expected to graduate and join HPD in March 2027, at which time they will begin field training.

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