The Portage County Sheriff's Office Communication Center, commonly referred to as the Dispatch Center, provides a vast array of services to a number of agencies and the citizens of Portage County. Two Lead Dispatch Supervisors and eight Communications Technicians make up the hub of the communication services provided by the Portage County Sheriff's Office Communication Center. The Dispatch Center is controlled by as many as three Dispatchers during historically busy time periods of the day, manned twenty-four hours a day, and serves as the County's Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for 911 calls. The Dispatch Center is responsible for activating the County's weather sirens and CodeRED system for emergency notification. The Communications Technicians are also trained to provide emergency medical instructions to callers while emergency responders are still on the way.
Above and beyond the daily duties related to the Portage County Sheriff's Office, the Dispatch Center also provides dispatching and paging duties for one full-time police department, three ambulance services, 16 fire departments, 13 medical service groups, and over a dozen other county and state agencies. To varying degrees, the Dispatch Center provides services to the Portage County Highway Department, State of Wisconsin Probation & Parole, Portage County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Portage County Coroner, National Weather Service Weather Spotters, Portage County Parks, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Portage County Emergency Management, Red Cross, Portage County Humane Society, and various tow/wrecker services. The Communications Center fields over 70,000 calls annually with over 10,000 of them being 911 calls.
The Portage County Sheriff's Office Communication Center provides communications services to all areas of the 810 square mile county, working closely with the City of the Stevens Point Police Department. The Stevens Point Police Department Dispatch Center and the Sheriff's Office Communication Center assist each other during times of crisis or high levels of activity. Cross training between the centers ensures the ability to maintain communications throughout the County in the event of one of the centers being inoperable. The Communications Center, as well as the entire Sheriff's Office, works to promote, preserve, and deliver quality service to the citizens of Portage County by forming partnerships within the county. These partnerships enhance the security and safety of our community and lead to excellence of service.
What will happen when I call 911?
Whenever you call 911, please be sure to stay on the line. There may be up to seven seconds of silence before the system connects you. Give the Communications Technician the street address and community where help is needed and what the problem is. You may be asked some specific questions, such as:
1) What is happening?
2) Where is it happening?
3) Who is this happening to?
4) When did this happen?
The Communications Technician can determine what help is needed and get the help on the way. We may ask additional information that will help them make a determination on sending help.
ALWAYS remain on the line until you are told it is ok to hang up. This will help in giving information to the responding units. Do this even if you call by accident!
When should I call 911 and when should I call non-emergency numbers?
911 is specifically for emergency calls only. If you have or you see a life threatening situation, you should always call 911. An example of an emergency would be medical injury or illness, traffic crashes, fires, burglary in progress, situations involving violence, and any other incident where serious harm, either physical or to personal property, could occur at the time of the call.
DO NOT CALL 911 if an incident has already occurred and there is no danger of physical harm to anyone. These types of calls can be taken care of by calling the non-emergency phone number for the Portage County Sheriff's Office at (715) 346-1400.
The Portage County Sheriff's Office Communication Center is staffed by dedicated professionals who are committed to providing security and safety to the citizens of Portage County. If you have any questions regarding the Communications Center, please contact us.
