NC county to begin 911 consolidation

Beginning on the morning of Jan. 27 , Rockingham County will begin the process to merge all four dispatch centers into a single dispatch point

January 18, 2019 03:04 PM

The Richmond County Daily Journal

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Richmond County, along with the City of Hamlet, the City of Rockingham and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, will begin the process of consolidating dispatching services in the county.

Today, if you dial 9-1-1, the call will go to the Richmond County Emergency Services facility. If your emergency requires a response from fire or you need an ambulance, your call will be processed and dispatched by the 9-1-1 center. If you dial 9-1-1 and your emergency require a law enforcement officer, the 9-1-1 center will validate your location where the incident occurred and you will be transferred to the appropriate law enforcement agency’s dispatch center for processing and the dispatching of a unit.

Beginning on the morning of Jan. 27 , the county will begin the process to merge all four dispatch centers into a single dispatch point. Richmond County Emergency Services will begin this process by consolidating the dispatch services with of Hamlet Police Department into the Richmond County 9-1-1 center.

What does this mean for citizens of the City of Hamlet? You should see little actual change in how to report a crime or the dispatching of an officer. On the Jan. 27, the dispatcher for Hamlet Police Department will begin working with Richmond County Emergency Services and together, begin to take calls from citizens at one location.

What changes does this bring to the citizens? Better efficiencies of processing calls and everyone working together to meet the needs of citizens and reduce redundancies. Another change is office hours of the Hamlet Police Department. While officers are on duty 24 hours a day seven days a week, the main office is only open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. for administrative purposes.

Regardless, if you need an officer or assistance, call 9-1-1 instead of the police department’s previously published telephone number.”Richmond County Emergency Services, along with our partners from the City of Hamlet, look forward to providing a more efficient and effective emergency services to each of you” officials said in a press release.