A History of Stanislaus Regional 911
Stanislaus County began planning and preparation for installation of its 9-1-1 system in the mid 1970's. This plan included taking the separate dispatch centers that were in existence in the county and joining them into the center. From that idea, the County Communications Department was formed in 1978. Employees of the agencies that chose to become part of the Comm. Center then became county employees.
In 1979 the dispatchers moved into the basement of the County Administration Building at 1100 H St. By 1981, the Communications Center was fully operational with an on-line CAD system.
The only agencies that did not join the consolidated center were the cities of Oakdale and Turlock, and Ceres Police. Several computer changes and a few cosmetic changes later, the center, or Emergency Dispatch as it was called, was functioning as the main PSAP for Stanislaus County.
In 1997 the center began to look for a new home. The old AT & T building was purchased and plans were set into motion to move and upgrade the entire operation. In November, 2000 the dream became a reality. The new "JPA," or Joint Powers Agreement, took affect and "Stanislaus Regional 911" opened their doors with a new telephone and radio system. The only thing that was not new was the CAD system which went through a facelift, but remained functionally the same.
In 2001 Oakdale City Fire joined our dispatch operation. At present all fire and law enforcement dispatches are done from this center with the exception of Oakdale City Police, Ceres City Police, Newman City Police, and Turlock City Fire and Police.
We continue to grow as the population of the county grows. We are presently operating on our third CAD system (the last of which has gone through an upgrade and numerous on-site modifications). AT & T figures that a PSAP will handle on an average one call per resident of the area per year and that is ringing true here.
