After a few manufacturer delays, the new 911 communications center should be up and running in October.

The recently purchased $282,000 worth of identification equipment and software was approved by the St. Joseph City Council in June.

Tabby McClanahan, network administrator, initially hoped the system would be up and running sometime this month. That date has now changed to Oct. 1.

Ms. McClanahan said members of the St. Joseph Police Department met with the necessary officials from the manufacturer, Plant CML, on July 29, and set a couple of dates they think will be manageable.

The tentative ship date for the required components is now Aug. 26, with installation on Sept. 8.

Ms. McClanahan said after some training for the communications center staff on Sept. 23 to 26, they hope to hook up lines on Oct. 1.

The updates to the system will now aid dispatchers in locating individuals who place 911 calls from a cellular telephone. Currently, their system can only identify calls made from land line phones.

Megan Tilk can be reached at megantilk@npgco.com.