The Communications Center is staffed by a team of highly trained communications specialists. Emergency Service Dispatchers are trained to handle a variety of Police, Sheriff, Fire and Medical emergencies. The dispatchers are responsible for receiving, prioritizing and sending appropriate assistance to the citizens of Lincoln, Lancaster County and surrounding area. In addition, the dispatchers provide callers with emergency medical dispatch instructions when needed.

There are approximately 36 Emergency Service Dispatchers and Call Takers classified at various levels. The levels of Emergency Service Dispatcher are ESDI, ESDII and ESDIII. The ESDIII job classification represents the line supervisors.

The Emergency Communications Center has five administrative office positions, the Communications Coordinator/Manager, Administrative Officer, Operations Training Coordinator, Quality Assurance Coordinator, and Systems Specialist. The Center provides dispatching services for the Lincoln Police Department, Lincoln Fire & Rescue, the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office and Rural Fire/Rescue departments. The Center processes calls for service on incoming 9-1-1 lines as well as the non-emergency 7-digit telephone lines for police and sheriff.

In order to help best serve the public, the Communications Center asks that you use the 9-1-1 emergency line only when there is an immediate risk to life or property. Some examples of times when it is appropriate to dial 9-1-1 are:

• Any medical emergency
• In-progress or just-occurred crimes
• Any crime involving weapons (guns, knives, clubs, etc)
• Domestic violence, in-progress or threatened
• Any vehicle accident involving injuries
• Anytime a suspect is still in or near the area
• Fire of any kind

When You Call 9-1-1:

To help dispatchers prioritize your call and to provide the responding officers with the information they need, everyone is asked a standard set of questions. Your Dispatcher will need to know:

1. Location of the problem. Even though your telephone number and address should be shown on the Dispatcher's console, we will want to confirm that the address is correct. Also, you may be calling from a location that is different from the address where you are calling. Be Sure to Give Your Telephone Number And Extension to The Dispatcher.
2. Type of Problem. The Dispatcher will need to know if you are reporting an emergency or something that is not an emergency. You will be asked for a basic description of what occurred and, if applicable, When the incident happened.
   • A description of the suspect, including clothing,
   • Whether a weapon was involved and, if so, what type,
   • A description and direction of travel of vehicle if one was involved.
3. Give the Dispatcher All of the Information Available. Do not leave out information because you don’t think that it is important. The more we know about an incident, the more effective we can be in helping you.
4. Medical Emergencies Initial. After initial information has been obtained, we ask that you stay on the line for medial instructions after the responders have been dispatched. During the call the dispatcher will ask for information about the patient that is helpful to the paramedics. In many cases, the dispatcher can give you information on how to help the patient until responders arrive.

TIPS to Remember:

If you call 9-1-1 by mistake, DO NOT HANG UP! Tell the Dispatcher that you called by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. Any time a Dispatcher receives a 911 “hang up”, the caller must be contacted to be sure that no actual emergency exists. This may require that an officer be needlessly dispatched to your home or office to ensure the well being of all persons there.

When calling from a cellular phone or remote location, be aware of mile markers, streets and cross streets, so we can better pinpoint where the emergency is.

Non-Emergencies:

If you are calling to report a crime that has already occurred at some time in the past, or to ask a question, please call the Non-emergency Number of 441-6000. This direct number to the dispatch center is available 24 hours a day to handle calls for Police, Fire and Sheriff. Some examples of times when it is appropriate to use the Non-Emergency number are:

• Past auto theft
• Past damage of property
• Past theft of property
• Noise problems (parties, music, etc.)

If You Need to Ask a General Information Question about 911, You Can Call (402) 441-7005.