From the Kent County Sheriff’s Department

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office will be celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week from April 12-18. Call takers and dispatchers are the unsung heroes of Public Safety. They are the first contact for the public and set the tone for customer service and emergency response. This week provides an opportunity for the public and the public safety community at large to thank those that help to keep them safe.

Currently, the Kent County Communications Center staffs one dispatch manager, eight shift supervisors, 38 full-time and three part-time operators, who operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week and answer almost 400,000 calls for police and fire services per year. The Communications Center dispatches police and fire personnel to over 115,000 incidents per year, which range from non-emergency and civil calls for service to life threatening matters where every second counts.

During this momentous week, members of the community, commissions, area departments, and local businesses show their support in various ways. The Communications Center staff would like to extend their sincere thanks to everyone who takes the time to recognize the excellent work that the Center does on a daily basis.