The Minnesota State Patrol plans to close its dispatch center in Baxter, near Brainerd, next month, as it continues consolidation of its call centers.
The Baxter location will close March 17; a dispatch center in Virginia, Minn., will close April 14. Those are the last closings in the patrol's consolidation from 10 dispatch centers around the state to two.
The remaining dispatch centers will be in Roseville and Rochester.
State Patrol Capt. Sean Meagher told the Brainerd Dispatch that the consolidation is being done for efficiency and cost savings.
The public shouldn't notice the change; troopers in the area will respond as quickly, they'll just be getting the emergency information from a different location.
The paper reports:
"Meagher said there will be no reductions in personnel, as the dispatchers are given the option to transfer to one of the open dispatch centers. At the Brainerd District, there are five dispatchers and one supervisor. Meagher said all the dispatchers and the supervisors at all the dispatch centers knew of the consolidation well ahead of time and were given notice of their options."