It was billed as a state-of-the-art, high-tech dispatching center and built with your tax dollars in 2005, at a cost of nearly $5 million.

But the problem is that it's still empty.

The state police dispatch center in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, was supposed to be one of five regional consolidated dispatch centers, known as CDCs.

According to a state police news release at the time, dispatching had been done by the department's 81 stations -- with close to 165 troopers used to supplement civilian police communications operators.

News Release Announcing Centers

In 2005 then-commissioner Jeffrey Miller said, "By consolidating dispatching functions, we can free troopers from desk duty and assign them to the law enforcement duties for which they were trained."

All of the CDCs were supposed to be working by 2006. Two went on line in 2004, one near Harrisburg and the other in Norristown. But CDCs in Luzerne County and Clarion County haven't been built.

Target 11 asked Governor Ed Rendell why the building was built, but not used.

At first he said he didn't know why, but then he said problems with the state radio communication system have delayed the opening of the CDCs. Rendell admitted the state may have built the center in Hempfield too soon.

"It was probably built a little too early. When I came into office the state-wide radio communication system was a disaster. We had to restructure it and do many things to it, so it will be on line probably within the year," said Rendell.

But a state police spokesman claims that the statewide radio system is only part of the problem -- citing a lack of money as a bigger problem.

State Sen.-elect Kim Ward represents Hempfield Township and told Target 11 she will get to the bottom of the problem.

How To Find State Police Bureau In Your Area