State police have abandoned the controversial consolidation of emergency dispatchers into regional call centers and plan to divert 911 calls back to local barracks by the end of the year.

Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Dora B. Schriro made the announcement on Monday, following a yearlong review of a move that sent many 911 calls from eastern Connecticut to a consolidated dispatch center in Tolland.

Schriro’s move was widely praised by union leadership and local lawmakers.

“I think there was a clear evaluation of this and Commissioner Schriro made a deliberative decision that benefits public safety,” said state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague.

Osten had proposed legislation ending the consolidation, which was widely criticized shortly after it was initiated and led to what some had called a disconnect by dispatchers unfamiliar with the areas they were covering.

The consolidation effort began in in the western part of the state in 2012 under former Commissioner Reuben F. Bradford and State Police Commander Col. Danny R. Stebbins. The ultimate goal was to reduce the number of dispatch centers from 12 to five. The consolidation in the eastern portion of the state, including state police barracks in Colchester, Montville and Danielson, began in 2013.

The move was touted as a way to streamline operations and allow more state troopers to get back on patrol. The plan moved civilian dispatchers from Troop E in Montville, Troop D in Danielson and Troop K in Colchester under one roof at Troop C in Tolland, freeing up troopers who had accompanied them at the dispatch desk.

But complaints quickly arose when barracks, without someone at the desk, were locked during the overnight hours. Call boxes were installed for visitors who arrived when the barracks were closed.

After she was appointed commissioner, Schriro restored round-the-clock coverage at all state police barracks. She also redirected administrative, or non-emergency, calls to the local troops. Schriro placed the plan for a Central District dispatch consolidation on hold during a review of the entire plan.

State Police Union President Andrew Matthews said the union membership was elated at Monday’s news.

“(Schriro) realized it was a dangerous policy,” Matthews said. “It proves what we were trying to say for the last three years was accurate.”

Matthews said response time had suffered because of a shift to a system of “call takers,” who would field the initial 911 call before transferring to a dispatcher. He said troopers were also spending more time out of their own districts to transport prisoners, a byproduct of having fewer people at the barracks at any given time.

“It’s a decision that will have a huge impact on (troopers) and the public,” Matthews said.

Larry Dorman, a spokesman for AFSCME Council 4, which represents dispatchers, said dispatchers welcome the news.

“I give the governor and commissioner credit for studying the situation and coming to a solid decision – doing what’s right and in the best interest of public safety,” Dorman said. “It makes sense.”

Dorman said the consolidation plan “essentially shoehorned dispatchers into a couple of barracks.”

“People are going back to the barracks where they belong,” Dorman said.

The switch back to dispatch operations at the individual troops will occur sometime in the coming weeks and will coincide with the installation of the state’s new next-generation 911 system, a project expected to be completed in the fall.

“Our State Police Troops are critical to the communities they serve and this plan will yield optimal operational efficiencies at every troop," Schriro said in the statement. “These adjustments, coupled with the previous improvements that we put into place, will significantly enhance our dispatch operations. The Troops, their towns, local leaders and our stakeholders all contributed to the development of this plan.”

Scott DeVico, a spokesman for the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said there will need to be equipment upgrades at the troops to accommodate the dispatchers' return.

Schriro, in her statement Monday, said Troops L and C will be designated as the locations that would handle an influx in calls caused by a catastrophic event and provide critical back-up in the event of a system failure.

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay