Communications Center (Dispatch)

The Rush County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center answers all 9-1-1 calls that originate from within Rush County. Sheriff’s Dispatchers are the critical link between emergency services personnel and the citizens of Rush County. With the aid of some of the most up-to-date equipment available including e9-1-1 technology, dispatchers receive incoming emergency calls, maintain and coordinate communication with emergency personnel, and relay information from callers to responding units. In addition to providing dispatch service for law enforcement personnel, they also dispatch and coordinate all of the fire districts located in the county, and the Rush County Emergency Medical Services.

In the event of weather emergencies, the Communications Center can monitor weather radar, relay information from the National Weather Service and neighboring counties, and activate emergency warning systems.

What is Enhanced 9-1-1? In 1967, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended that a single nationwide number be created for reporting emergencies. However, it was not until the 1980s that 9-1-1 systems were developed that displayed the location of the caller on a special computer terminal at what is known as the Public Service Answering Point (PSAP). This technology allowed the 9-1-1 operator to immediately determine the location of the caller and dispatch emergency personnel even if the caller is unable to communicate the details his or her emergency. In recent years, the technology was enhanced to include wireless phones. By utilizing GPS (Global Positioning System) and triangulation between cell towers, a wireless caller’s location can now be displayed at the PSAP to signficantly decrease response time by emergency personnel to remote locations.