The Dallas County Sheriff’s office issued a statement Tuesday that describes how it will begin gradually to take over dispatching duties for the city of Perry’s emergency services over the course of June.
There will be two phases to the transition, the sheriff’s office said. On June 22 at 10 a.m., the Dallas County Sheriff’s office communications center will begin to dispatch the Perry Fire Department and First Responders. One week later, on June 29 at 10 a.m., the sheriff’s office will take over all dispatching duties for the Perry Police Department.
Dallas County already dispatches Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the Perry area.
Emergency telephone number: from anywhere in Dallas County will remain as 911.
Non-emergency telephone numbers: for the Perry Police Department will be 515-465-4636 on Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Dallas County Sheriff’s office communications center 24-hour telephone number is 515-993-4567.
Staff at the Perry Police Department will answer non-emergency telephone calls Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. After business hours, calls to the non-emergency numbers will transfer to Dallas County Sheriff’s office communications center.
The public will not see any changes to their services. All 911 calls will go straight to Dallas County dispatch no matter the day or time.
Combining dispatch services will increase efficiency and reduce the burden to tax payers by eliminating the duplication of services. It will help with officer safety by reducing the number of radio channels that need to be scanned and officers will be able to hear real time situations easier. It will increase and promote cooperation between all agencies in Dallas County that are dispatched through Dallas County Dispatch.
“We are all on the same team in Dallas County, and it makes total sense to me that we are dispatched together,” said Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante. “This will save money for all Dallas County taxpayers because we will not have to upgrade and maintain two different dispatch centers. We will be able to share more information between our departments by logging radio traffic into one shareable software system instead of maintaining 2 separate software programs. This is a perfect example of government working together to make things better for their community, and I am glad to be partnering with the city of Perry on this.”
Perry Police Chief Vaughn was equally positive about the effect of the changes.
“The Perry Police Department’s Communications Center has had a long history that has been staffed by hardworking, dedicated employees for over 40 years,” Vaughn said. “It’s been an honor to serve with some incredible dispatchers over the years. It has been a difficult decision to transfer those services. However, I think it will help streamline communications and the exchange of information between all first responder agencies in Dallas County.”
