Text Box: Far left: Keith Minor, Communications Officer, Center: Shannon King, Communications Supervisor, and Tom Strawser, Communications Officer Text Box: Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center Text Box: Text Box: Please contact Community Relations Coordinator Catherine Dokey at 850-651-7448 or cdokey@sheriff-okaloosa.org if you have any questions or concerns. www.sheriff-okaloosa.org Click on the above images for more information  

A Message From Your Sheriff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Built near the geographic center of Okaloosa County, the OCSO Communications Center serves the majority of Okaloosa County as one of two central answering points for 911 and non-emergency telephone communications.  It also provides dispatch (radio) communications for all OCSO field service deputies.  Communications Officers are the unsung heroes.  Be it law enforcement, fire department, or emergency medical services, it normally starts with a phone call, and they are here to answer your call.  The more precise the information you provide to the Communications Officer, the more it assures we get the right person to the right place at the right time.  They have your best interest and safety in mind and want to provide you with the best service possible.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 
Text Box: Communications Training Officer: Angie Barrow (foreground), Communication Officers: Dale Blackwood (across from Angie), and Mike Calvert (standing) Text Box: Deputy Sheriff’s Safety Tip: We encourage citizens who are going to be out of town to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 689-5705 or 651-7400 to get on the Vacation Watch List. Text Box: The Communications Center is the hub of law enforcement response to the community. It is manned 24/7 by a crew of six communications officers, two call takers, three radio operators and a shift supervisor. Each crew works an eight-hour shift. Every communications officer is cross-trained to work not only phones/911, but each of the three radio positions as well. Training is accomplished on-the-job, whereas a trainee is assigned to one of the two Communications Training Officers (CTO) assigned per shift. The CTO leads the trainee during all facets of training. Trainees normally spend 60 days per shift. This gives them the opportunity to observe the operation of each shift and the different situations each shift encounters. Training is trainee driven and can last upwards of 960 hours. Progress is dependent upon how fast the trainee can absorb the amount of information they’re required to know, how well they handle stress, and how well they perform call taking and dispatching functions. Trainees are required to take and pass a written and practical evaluation for each position before moving on to the next phase of training. The communications center handles approximately 20,000 non-emergency calls and approximately 5000 calls to 911. Calls increase dramatically during times of crisis. During the seven-day period prior to, during, and after Hurricane Ivan approximately 4500 calls to 911 were fielded, not to mention a dramatic increase of non-emergency calls. In 2005, the Sheriff’s Office responded to over 174,000 calls for service. It is our commitment to serve the citizens to the best of our ability.

In 2005, the Sheriff’s Office responded to over 174,000 calls for service that were logged through the Communications Center

 

651-7400 south Okaloosa County

(850) 689-5705 north Okaloosa County

*SO (Alltel Cellular)

911 Emergencies