Athens-Clarke County Central Communications Division

Welcome to the Athens-Clarke County Police Department Communications Division!

The primary mission of the Athens-Clarke County Communications Division is to provide the vital and necessary communications link between the citizens and emergency service providers in Athens-Clarke County.

Athens-Clarke County Central Communications was originally established when then Athens City Police and Clarke County Dispatch Centers combined with the unification of the City of Athens and Clarke County Governments on January 14, 1991. Central Communications is a division of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Funding for the division is primarily received through the Emergency Number Fund and is supplemented by the Athens-Clarke County Government to cover expenses not covered by the fund.

In December, 2002, Central Communications moved into it’s present location at the Athens Clarke County Police Department’s Headquarters building in Athens. The Communications Center currently employs 32 communications personnel.

Athens-Clarke County Central Communications operates 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Communications Personnel work a 12 hour shift schedule in the state-of-the art facility.

Central Communications uses an enhanced Emergency Telephone Number System (911) so citizens can easily access emergency services. The system provides Communications Personnel with the name, address, and telephone number of landline callers.

In February 2004, Central Communications began processing Phase II Wireless 911 calls. With this technology, Communications Personnel are able to plot a cellphone caller’s location on a map. This technology allows the caller’s location to be updated as the caller changes locations during the call.

Central Communications receives and dispatches citizens' requests for emergency services for the following agencies:

• Athens-Clarke County Police Department
• Athens-Clarke County Fire Department
• Clarke County Sheriff’s Office
• Winterville Police Department
• Winterville Fire Department

Central Communications has used a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) to log and process calls for service since March 1993. A new system, provided by Intergraph Public Safety, was was implemented in December 2007. It provides exceptional functionality, speed, and accuracy within the Communications Center. Communications Personnel can enter calls or use other CAD functions with computer mouse clicks, 'drag and drop', or directly enter computer command on a command line. Two maps of Athens-Clarke County are available to Communications Personnel through CAD. The first map shows all streets, intersections, building footprints, and parcels in Athens-Clarke County. The second map interfaces with the county’s Pictometry Database. This gives Communications Personnel a high resolution, color, photographic map which provides image selection and five different aerial views, including profile views of locations.

Central CommunicationsPersonnel communicate with field units through an 800 MHz trunked radio system which serves more than 1,000 county employees throughout the Athens-Clarke County Government. Additionally, Central Communications can communicate with field units via mobile data terminals which are currently being deployed to police officers throughout the department. All radio and telephone traffic is recorded using a digital recording system located within the Communications Center.

In 2008, Athens Clarke County Central Communications received 132,032 emergency calls for service. Many other non-emergency calls were also received by Central Communications through a secondary non-emergency telephone system. Central Communications provides both emergency and non-emergency support to person speaking other than English by using Language Line Services, whose representatives can translate over 140 languages, and through our bilingual Communications Personnel. Central Communications can also communicate with hearing impaired citizens by using a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or teletypewriter (TTY).

Click here to view pictures of Central Communications

Click here to view pictures of Central Communications

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