The dispatch center at the Beverly Hills Police Station receives more than 200,000 emergency and non-emergency calls per year. (photo courtesy of the city of Beverly Hills)

The Beverly Hills Police Department on June 23 unveiled upgrades to its dispatch center. The city spent approximately $1 million on the renovation, which included the replacement of outdated equipment with state-of-the-art tech used to respond to 911 calls and deploy officers to the scene. The City Council received a tour of the refurbished center during a special meeting on June 23, led by incoming Police Chief Max Subin. Subin officially steps into the role of chief on June 27, following the retirement of Mark Stainbrook.

“[We] had old consoles from the 1980s, they were breaking, they were falling apart,” Subin said. “They were very antiquated … they didn’t work well, sometimes they would go up and down. Now we have total control.”

The dispatch center, located within the Beverly Hills Police Station adjacent to City Hall, fields all emergency and non-emergency calls made within Beverly Hills. Non-emergency calls to the police department include calls for general police services such as noise complaints and parking problems. Dispatchers receive calls and coordinate with the proper channels to send out code enforcement, traffic enforcement, firefighters, EMS and/or police officers. Dispatchers in the Beverly Hills center also coordinate with other departments including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department. Beverly Hills currently employs approximately 14 dispatchers and four supervisors.

The police department receives approximately 177,000 non-emergency calls and approximately 30,000 911 calls per year, according to dispatch manager Bill McKessy. Subin said parking-related calls make up the majority of the calls to the department. He added that the department is currently evaluating ways to utilize artificial intelligence to assist with non-emergency calls in the future, though the technology is currently too limited to implement.

The renovation included the replacement of existing monitors, consoles, furniture and equipment used by dispatchers. Subin emphasized that because the dispatch center is staffed 24 hours and is the first point of contact for emergency situations, there was a need for higher-quality equipment.

The dispatch center is separate from the city’s Real Time Watch Center – a monitored security center that utilizes 24-hour security footage from around the city. However, the dispatch center also receives the live video feed from the RTWC in case of a call reporting an incident that may be caught on live feed.

Subin said the recent technology upgrades and the expansion of the Real Time Watch Center camera network have greatly improved arrest rates for 911 calls reporting crimes.

“No matter what – if your flower pot is stolen … we’re going to find you, we’re going to see you,” he said. “We have tons of cameras.”

The police department also recently purchased two devices used to measure the decibel levels of car exhausts. In recent years, residents have expressed concerns over excessive exhaust noise from sports cars that frequent Beverly Hills streets.

During the tour of the dispatch center, BHPD Captain Renato Moreno said the decibel readers have increased the department’s ability to issue citations for excessive noise. He said that BHPD dispatchers receive many calls reporting loud exhausts, and frequently deploy motor officers who track down the vehicles and take decibel readings.

“We have two of these decibel readers. They’re quite expensive, but they have proven really effective for us,” Moreno said. “Word is getting out that Beverly Hills has these decibel readers.”

The recent upgrades to BHPD resources reflect the city’s significant investment in public safety. In the city’s budget for fiscal year 2026-27, approved on June 23, public safety – including police and fire – remains the city’s highest expense at $189 million. The budget allocated $124.9 million to the BHPD, a 6.8% year-over-year increase, and $64.1 million to the fire department, a 0.2% increase.

“We appreciate all the hard work and dedication that went into launching our police department’s new dispatch center,” Beverly Hills Mayor Craig Corman said. “The enhanced technology will aid our staff in ensuring that our community always remains safe, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”