The foundation for Enhanced 911 in Jackson County was laid in early 1991 when the citizens of the county voted for it in a referendum. Personnel worked for months to establish and document an addressing system that would ensure that all of the addresses in the county were correct. After those months of work and after training the departments first ten employees, E-911 became functional on October 31, 1992.
At that time, 911 was staffed by two operators per shift operating 24 hours a day. In the beginning, 911 operators recorded all of their information recorded using a pen and paper logs which was tedious and difficult to track statistical data. A lot has changed throughout the years, with technological advancements and through coordinated upgrades and management, 911 today is much better prepared to handle anything from a typical officer initiated traffic stop, to a large scale natural or man made disaster.
Current Day
Today, operating with Enhanced 911, computer aided dispatch, and handling an average of 12,000 calls per month, each shift is staffed with five operators. When someone calls 911 from a landline operators know from what address the caller is calling from using Enhanced 911. If a caller is using a cell phone, operators can track the caller from within 25 feet using Phase II Wireless Technology. Utilizing most of what technology has to offer 911 allows our personnel to get the proper help to callers without delay when seconds count.