On Wednesday, a press conference led by the Brigham City Police Department sought to clarify why while responding to comments Box Elder County Sheriff Kevin Potter had posted on Facebook. ABC4 Utah noted that the full list of agencies leaving the Unified Box Elder Communications Center for Weber 911 includes the Brigham City Police Department, Perry Police Department, Tremonton-Garland Police Department, Perry City EMS, Brigham City Fire Department, Garland Fire Department and Tremonton Fire Department.

“We know this decision comes at the end of an emotional time for our communities,” read a statement received by the Standard-Examiner on the press conference. “But the events of August 17 did not initiate this change. Brigham City Fire Chief Brandon Thueson and Police Chief Chad Reyes have been asking for changes to be made at Box Elder Communications Center ever since we started working for Brigham City. We value the relationships we have with other agencies in our county. But we need to prioritize public safety over our egos and over our relationships.”

The statement adds a major sticking point for these agencies came last summer.

“The final straw, the event that really pushed Mayor Bott to move forward with the change, was the data breach experienced by Box Elder County in early August,” the statement said. “Box Elder’s dispatch center operated off of pen and paper for about two weeks even though other area dispatch centers offered to take over dispatch responsibilities during that time. The insistence that we regress back 50 years put our first responders at risk.”

Additionally, the statement said that service will not degrade as a result of the move.

“Response times will not be longer,” the statement said. “The State of Utah just recently rolled out a statewide CAD to CAD system. CAD means Computer Aided Dispatch. What this means is that when you make a 911 call and the dispatcher who answers needs to transfer your call to a different dispatch center for some reason, it’s a click of a button, and all the information they have already collected will populate on the screen of the new dispatcher. There is no additional phone call, no need to provide the same information to a new dispatcher, no delay.”

In his Facebook post, Potter raised concerns about the potential for longer response times and interoperability.

The move is set to take place Feb. 2.