The Chatham-Kent Police Service is proud to recognize their E911 Communication Centre staff this week. These dedicated dispatchers and call takers are more often than not, the unseen heroes heard only through phone or radio transmissions.
With approximately 22 members, our Communications Centre answers both emergency 911 calls and non-emergency calls for service. They are the public’s first point of contact during an emergency where they are tasked with obtaining information in a timely and relevant manner. In turn they relay this information to our officers to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Our Communications Centre also dispatches for the Chatham-Kent Fire Department.
In 2013, the CKPS Communications Centre answered 32,242 emergency 911 calls along with an additional 111,526 non-emergency calls for service. They also created 40,936 events for police and CKFire Services.
“Chatham-Kent Police is fortunate to have an integrated E911 police/fire dispatch centre in the community managing our local emergency services. Emergency Communication Operators (ECO’s) are the conduit between the public and emergency services. Our ECO’s are a highly skilled and dedicated team who bring a passion for the job, a true sense of caring for their community and their desire for public service. Communications is a very complex and dynamic job with a lot of stressors for them to work with and through in any given situation. It is a difficult job, not everyone can do it and the ECO’s at CKPS do it well.” says Sheri Oliphant, Manager of E911 Police/Fire Communication Centre.
