Tuesday April 13th, during National Public Safety Telecommunications Week we paid a visit to the Dispatch Center in Walnut Ridge for a tour by Director Steve Jones of the Communication Center. Along with the tour we had many questions about the Lawrence County Communications Center and how it works.
One of the first things noticed when you enter the Dispatch Center are the many computers and phones in the office. There are several work stations equipped with computers and phones as well as closed circuit cameras monitoring the court house hallways and doors.
Another thing we noticed was the amount of phone calls the operators were receiving. Mr. Jones stated that during the day when the offices of the courthouse are open the phones seem to be busy. The dispatch center has both an Emergency Line (911) and a Non-Emergency Line (886-2525). Not only do they dispatch medical and fire but they dispatch for Black Rock, Ravenden, Walnut Ridge, State, County and Highway Police. LCCC also dispatches 3 wrecker services, Game and Fish, Arkansas Forestry and has a direct link to Air Evac. As you can imagine this office can get real busy, real fast.
And you ask “How can they do all this?” Real simple, with the right people. Steve Jones has told me on many occasions that the Lawrence County Dispatch Center has some of, if not the best dispatchers in the state. That comment has been echoed by Sheriff Dan Ellison as well as Judge Alex Latham. The staff which consist of 14 employees includes EMT’s, Firefighters and Police Officers.
Lawrence County is blessed to have a Dispatch Center that is ranked 8th in the State. Not only are they good at what they do, they work everyday to do it better.
So we say “Thank You!” to our dispatch center, you make us proud.
Did you know?
October 1994 was when Lawrence County put the Enhance 911 system in place.
Phase 1 allowed the center to track locations of landline phones and was completed in December 2003.
September 2005 the dispatch center was moved out of the Sheriff’s Department and into it’s current office.
Phase 2 was implemented in July 2009 and allows the center to track cell phones.
The LCCC is one of only 8 phase 2 centers in the state to be up and running.
Thanks Steve, Sherri, Page, Peggy, Tony, Yonnie, Delinda, Richy, Mark, Nicole, Daniel, Jordan, Deric and Kyle for all of the hard work you’ve done and you efforts to make our dispatch center the best.
