By KEVIN LILLY
As soon as the 9-1-1 governing board unanimously voted to confirm Dan McDonald, the Cass County resident began his new role as director of the combined dispatch center.
McDonald accepted well wishes from Mayor Mike Fincher and talked with top Logansport police administrators A.J. Rozzi and Mike Morphet about standard protocol before chatting with a few of the 14 dispatchers he will be managing.
Fincher expressed his confidence in McDonald.
“I think we came out on top, and I look forward to moving on,” he said.
Commissioner Dave Arnold, who was elected chair of the governing board, agreed.
The board chose McDonald from a field of nine applicants. The board interviewed four finalists, and then narrowed the field to two last week before agreeing on McDonald.
“For me it was a difficult decision,” Fincher said. “I thought the last two interviewed very well.”
McDonald said he appreciated the board’s support.
“As a mature group of people, we’re going to be forward thinking and we’re going to provide the best possible service we can to the citizens and the officers, the firefighters and the medics,” he said.
McDonald will be filling the vacancy left by Lori Forrer, who resigned in January to take a new position.
After the meeting, McDonald complimented the staff he inherited. He believes that with the experience of staff members and the available technology, the local operation will soon be poised to become a regional dispatch center and a model for the entire state.
McDonald’s background consists of management in training at a large sheriff’s department in Florida, work in the juvenile division of the Indiana Department of Correction, a member of a state SWAT team and a volunteer firefighter.
McDonald is not a dispatcher but he intends to obtain the required certification so he can help cover shifts and have a better understanding of the job. He stressed the concept of teamwork.
“It’s not the Dan McDonald show, it’s our show, and it’s important we work together,” he said.
• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com.
