The Sheriff's Office dispatch center is the first point of contact for most people who are in need of assistance.  As a result, the dispatch center strives to provide courteous, professional service to the community.  Dispatcher answer a variety of calls ranging from informational inquiries to life threatening events.  Frequently the dispatchers' abilities serve to keep the caller calm in an emergency, obtain vital information for deputies prior to their arrival and may, on occasion, need to provide life-saving instructions.

     Dispatchers also serve as the lifeline to deputies in the field.  This is accomplished through concentrated focus on tracking the location of deputies and the status of their calls.  This is done through the use of a computer-aided-dispatch system and radio communication.

     Five different patrol radio frequencies are currently being operated by the Dispatch Unit.  These are East Patrol, West Patrol, South Patrol, Animal Control and a Request channel which is used for information inquiries by deputies in the field.  Two additional frequencies are also available for use in car to car communications and major incidents.

     The Sheriff's dispatch center continues to provide dispatching services for Salt Lake County Animal Services Division.  This contract was initiated in the summer of 1994 and we continue to cross train our dispatchers to meet the special needs required in providing this service.

     Each dispatcher is required to be trained and certified through the Police Officer Standards and Training Dispatch Course, Emergency Medical Dispatch, and the BCI course for use in making both state and national computer inquiries.  Each dispatcher is also required to attend an additional 20-40 hours of training each year.  These training certifications are important to insure that each dispatcher is able to handle any call they receive.

     Two Telephone Report Officers who are trained to take informational type reports over the phone alleviate some of the call load from deputies working in the field.  This new CAD system will add many new enhancements to our abilities in the future.