Communications Contact Numbers:

911 - For ALL emergency calls

(334) 897-2555 - For ALL non-emergency calls

 

Only call 9-1-1 to report the following:

• A serious crime
• A fire
• A serious medical condition
• Any situation requiring immediate response of the police, fire, or emergency medical personnel.

What will the 9-1-1 operator need to verify?

• Address of the emergency
• Phone number you are calling from
• Nature of the emergency
• Stay calm, speak clearly, and be prepared to answer questions, receive instructions and stay on the phone until you are told to hang up.

The Communications Center is the direct link between the public and officers in the field and provides a valuable service to our community.  Dispatchers must be able to field numerous incoming calls each day determining the best course of action and forwarding that information to the appropriate resource.  Not only do dispatchers handle emergency calls for assistance but they also monitor multiple radio frequencies, dispatch calls to the police units, access a variety of local, state and federal databases and track officer activity in the field.

Dispatchers often encounter irate, frustrated or frightened callers needing help.  During emergency situations, dispatchers must operate calmly and efficiently in order to control the flow of information.  Because each incoming call may vary from a request for general information to report of a life threatening incident, the dispatcher must ask specific questions and control the conversation to accurately prioritize the call and assign it to a police officer or other appropriate field unit. The quicker we can gather pertinent details - what occurred, what do involved parties look like, what vehicles (if any) are involved and what the vehicle(s) look like, etc. - the quicker the responding officers will be provided that information.  Obtaining pertinent information rapidly is a very crucial part of a dispatcher's job.