The Office of Program Evaluation & Government Accountability -- called OPEGA -- continues to investigate the Central Maine Regional Communications Center.

Beth Ashcroft, the office's director, expects the probe to wrap up in the first quarter of 2010. The office is a nonpartisan, independent agency of the Legislature that audits state-government operations for efficiency and for compliance with laws and regulations.

In late April, three Kennebec County senators requested an investigation of the operations of Maine's four state-run dispatch centers, in Kennebec, Penobscot, Cumberland and Aroostook counties.

A letter from Sens. Elizabeth Mitchell, Lisa Marraché and Earle McCormick requested "a program evaluation" be conducted by the office and the Government Oversight Committee, after seeing complaints from the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office.

Among other requests, the senators asked for an in-depth evaluation of the cost structures for Public Safety Answering Points and dispatch; the coverage received by rural counties, including Kennebec; and the connection of communication between the dispatch centers and responding law enforcement.