An East End police department and volunteer ambulance corps have been involved in an ongoing dispute that could delay medical response times.

The Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps says that the issue is over the emergency service dispatch system.

The Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps has been working toward getting the emergency dispatch provider changed from Riverhead police to the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services.

Riverhead Ambulance Corps Chief Michael Caron says the police dispatch system lacks critical technology and is understaffed.

He says there have been a few instances that required review for faults in the dispatching system this year.

"It could very well be somebody's life on the line," Caron says.

All calls go to the dispatcher and then get separated. Caron says that is when critical services are not being implemented fully.

Caron says that that the Riverhead Volunteer Corps have actually been told that they are not the priority.

News 12 reached out to Riverhead police but did not hear back as of 5 p.m.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar released a statement, saying: "Since the ambulance district falls under the authority of the town board, the board has determined to provide and continue to provide dispatch services for the ambulance district through our own Riverhead Police Department, rather than transfer the services to a county agency located in Brookhaven Town."