911 Services
Calling 911
Special Note for Cell Phone Users
When Not to Call 911
About the 911 Center
What Dispatchers Do
Calling 911
You should call 911 when you need the immediate response of an emergency service,
such as a police officer, an ambulance, or firefighters. Please call
911 if there is an immediate risk to the safety of people or property
(yours or others), or if there is a medical emergency. A 911 call from
a pay phone is free; you do not have to deposit money to make the call.
When the dispatcher answers your call, try to remain calm as you
describe the emergency, and give the location where help is needed.
Your telephone number is displayed to the dispatcher immediately, so
that you can be called back if more information is needed or if the
call is interrupted.
If you call 911 by accident, or if you change your mind about an incident's severity after you dial, please stay on the line until the dispatcher ends the call; do not just hang up.
Instead, stay on the phone and explain to the dispatcher that you
dialed by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. Otherwise, the
dispatcher (not knowing that there's no emergency) will spend time
trying to call you back or may even send emergency responders to you --
and force other 911 calls to wait in the meantime.
Special Note for Cell Phone Users
If you have 911 pre-programmed into your telephone for one-touch dialing, please lock your phone when you are not using it, so that you cannot accidentally dial 911.
Dispatchers have had instances of people calling on their cell
phones by accident (by bumping or sitting on their phone), and then
going on with their day unaware that the dispatchers are on the line
and trying to talk with them.
This ties up not only a channel in the communications system, but
also some of the dispatchers' time -- and both of these are needed in
order to respond to actual emergencies.
When Not to Call 911
911 should not be used unless a dangerous condition exists which requires immediate action.
The non-emergency number for the Stearns County Sheriff is 320.251.4240. This number is answered 24 hours a day, and should be used for calls such as
- a motor vehicle collision with no injuries
- theft from a vehicle
- property damage where the suspects have left the scene
- general questions, complaints, or reports, such as barking dog or loud music
Please use the telephone numbers listed in the blue pages of your
phone book to reach your local police department, city hall, and other
governmental offices.
St. Cloud Police Department (non-emergency, 24 hr.) 320.251.1200
About the 911 Center
The Stearns County 911 Center is made up of 20 dispatchers who work
various shifts, including weekends and holidays. The center dispatches
for 15 area police departments, 24 fire and rescue units, and six
ambulance services.
The staffing of the 911 Center varies depending on the time and day.
There are typically two or three dispatchers working from 7:00 a.m. to
11:00 a.m., increasing to four in the afternoon and early evening. Four
dispatchers are required to work weekends from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.,
when the majority of 911 calls are placed.
The 911 Center uses a CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) system.
Dispatchers enter all of the calls for all agencies that they serve,
and thus can check for previous hazards or prior calls from the
location, and can monitor the officers' location and status through
this system.
The radio control screen allows instant access to the deputies on duty, the police, fire, and ambulance services, the Public Works Department, and the Stearns County Dive Team and SERT Team
as necessary.
Dispatchers also monitor administrative alarms throughout
the Law Enforcement Center and other buildings (such as banks and
credit unions). They can also activate the civil defense sirens in
towns throughout Stearns County when needed.
The dispatchers also use a state computer through which they can
check driving records and vehicle registrations or enter warrants or
reports of stolen cars for the officers. They have the capability of
contacting any law enforcement agency throughout the United States
through this system.
What Dispatchers Do
Dispatchers must be able to multi-task
throughout their shift. For example, they may need to talk with a
suicidal person while calling in the appropriate EMS and law
enforcement personnel to respond, and still continue to handle other
emergency and routine calls that come into the center.
A "typical" 911
call can consist of anything from a complaint by a neighbor to a report
of a multiple-car accident with fatalities. Dispatchers need to be able
to remain calm and collected in a tense situation, and to be alert for
signs of trouble in the background of calls they take.
New dispatchers have extensive on-the-job training, performed by
trainers who have attended communication training school. However, you
do not need any special schooling beyond a high-school diploma to
become a dispatcher. Prior law enforcement experience or knowledge is
always helpful, but not required.
Dispatchers are responsible, dedicated people who work very hard to help keep the citizens and officers safe.