Sheriff's Office
911 Communications Center
The Kent County Communications Center, along with the Grand Rapids Communications Center, serves under the direction of the Kent County Dispatch Authority (KCDA). In an effort to preserve and protect the safety and security of our residents, our center provides courteous and professional dispatching service to thirty-eight police and fire agencies within Kent County. We also work in conjunction with three area ambulance companies to deliver fast and efficient medical response.
Currently, the communications center staffs one dispatch manager, one assistant manager, one technology supervisor, one systems administrator, eight shift supervisors, and 35 dispatchers and 15 call-takers who operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week and answer just under half a million calls for police and fire services per year.
After completing an extensive hiring process, Emergency Communications Operators (ECO) must complete internal on-the-job training as well as mandated outside training. The Kent County Communications Center dispatches police and fire personnel to nearly 150,000 incidents per year, which range from non-emergency and civil calls for service to life threatening matters where every second counts.
Our center is currently utilizing Smart911, which allows citizens to create an online safety profile that can assist responders when a 911 call is placed from a pre-registered phone number. Information, such as names and ages of people in the home, medical conditions, and pets can aid responders during an emergency, such as a house fire. For more information, please visit www.smart911.com.
The Kent County Communications Center was one of the first centers in West Michigan to receive Enhanced 9-1-1 (E-911) services. Where Enhanced 911 allowed operators to receive more specific caller location, Next Generation 911 (NG911) will allow operators to receive text and photos from citizens. Our center utilizes a state-of-the-art Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, which is directly linked to the system in the Grand Rapids Communication Center to provide seamless service. A newly upgraded radio system will allow for better radio reception and interoperability between the various police and fire agencies within Kent County.
Please visit our For Citizens & the For Parents & Kids pages for valuable information on 911 and child safety.
Jennifer Robinson
Emergency Communications Center Director
Jennifer.Robinson@kentcountymi.gov
(616) 632-6082