Rep. Eric Sorensen tours Milan dispatch center, meets with Quad-Cities police
Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) started police appreciation week a few days early with two events in the Quad-Cities.
On Friday, Sorensen met with city officials and leaders of local law enforcement to learn how he could bring federal assistance to local challenges.
Rep. Sorensen first visited QCOMM911, an emergency dispatch center located in Milan that provides 911 and radio services for four police departments and nine fire departments in Rock Island County.
The center handles around 14,000 calls per month, and serves the communities of Moline, East Moline, Silvis, Milan, Hampton, Coal Valley, Reynolds, Carbon Cliff-Barstow and Coyne Center, said Executive Director Scott Ryckeghem. These communities have mutual aid agreements in place, allowing them to work together and support each other during emergencies.
Sorensen said dispatchers are often not given the same credit as other first responders, and that he wanted to get a better understanding of their work and the challenges they face.
Following the tour of the dispatch center, Sorensen held a roundtable discussion with law enforcement leaders from around Rock Island County.
Discussion ranged widely over challenges faced by local law enforcement, with extra attention given to the difficulty departments face in filling their open positions, the uptick in mental health related responses their departments face, and the impact of illegal drugs like fentanyl in the area.
In an interview, Mark VanKlaveren, Silvis Chief of Police, said that the roundtable was a good start, but more discussion and work was needed.
“I’d love to see a follow-up after this,” VanKlaveren said, “We can talk about problems and put a lot of lip service to it, however, let’s reengage after a while to see if the problems get better.”
Sorensen agreed.
“This isn’t one where we coordinate a one and done,” he said. “All of the law enforcement officers that were participating here have my personal cell number, and I want to be able to continue the conversation without any politics. I want to make sure that I’m doing what’s right by law enforcement.”