LANSING — State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) and State Senator Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) were able to secure nearly $1.3 million in state funding to improve the consolidated 911 dispatch center, which they say will improve communication in the region.

“Providing the necessary resources to our first responders is integral to creating a safer community for our families,” said Hammoud, a Dearborn resident serving his second term in the Michigan House of Representatives, in a press release.

“We are proud to have worked diligently with city and state leaders on this proposal, which consolidates resources and utilizes the latest technologies while using resources more effectively and efficiently. A safer community is a better community, and securing additional funding for the dispatch center is a major step forward for Dearborn and its neighboring cities.”

Santana said that the improvements will help residents in various local cities, including Dearborn.

“It is so important that we keep public safety a priority in this state budget, and we were glad to see that crucial, $1.25 million in funding for the people of Dearborn, Melvindale, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne and Westland for a consolidated dispatch center in Dearborn remain intact,” Santana said. “Our constituents deserve to get the emergency help they need in the most efficient manner possible.

“This dedicated money is the culmination of my request of the Appropriations Chair to come to Dearborn to understand the synergy of communities working together, and through our continuous conversations, the funds were secured.”

This past August, the state of Michigan was awarded $3.9 million to upgrade 911 call centers in national grant funding.

“Advances in public safety technology will allow critical information to flow seamlessly from the public, through the 911 networks and on to first responders,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These 911 grant awards are a significant step toward a faster, more resilient emergency system.”