Combined Dispatch Center

The Combined Dispatch Center (CDC) is the heartbeat of the Sheriff's Office. It is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, by our trained communications personnel. It is the point where all calls for service are received and prompt responses are initiated.  All area 9-1-1 emergency telephones are answered directly from within the center. Communications personnel are cross trained to dispatch calls for Fire, Medical, and Law Enforcement responses. Our center provides one stop shopping for emergency communications within Bradford County handling dispatch for all first responders, to include: One (1) City Fire Department and Seven (7) Volunteer Fire Departments; Bradford County Emergency Medical Service (EMS); and all local law enforcement agencies, to include: the Starke Police Department, Lawtey Police Department, the Hampton Police Department, and of course, Bradford County Sheriff's Deputies & Prisoner Transport personnel. 

This center is filled with highly technical telephone, radio communications, and computer equipment. Each console operates a sophisticated CAD (computer aided dispatch), enabling each dispatcher the capability of monitoring and documenting every call received for each of the named agencies. The CAD system is capable of tracking all responding and available units for all of the agencies simultaneously. Our systems have on-screen mapping capabilities to enable dispatchers to provide responders with accurate location and directional information and assist them in reaching the area of need. The center has direct computer links to state and federal systems, which can provide drivers license and vehicle tag information instantly, confirm warrants for wanted individuals, and facilitate inquiries from a multitude of other additional resources.

Our dispatchers have individual work stations where they monitor multiple systems on up to five computer screens. They directly answer 9-1-1 emergency telephone calls and other telephone lines from their work stations and can communicate with each local agency via radio directly from the console. The center has the capability of monitoring various surveillance cameras for security. A paging system in CDC permits rapid notification to volunteer fire units and provides immediate notification of additional personnel when required.  In addition to communicating with responders on our primary radios, the center has radio communication links with agencies in surrounding areas. These can be activated as required, providing direct voice communications with those agencies.

CDC's  primary responsibility is answering 9-1-1 and other emergency calls and providing direct communications for each of the first responders via radio however, CDC also bears the responsibility of entering wanted persons, missing persons, and stolen property into national databases and for sending out BOLO's (be on the lookout messages) to deputies and other agencies. The center maintains all local warrants files, juvenile pick up orders, listed trespass warnings, protection orders, and up-to-date contact information for various local businesses. 

In the near future, communications capabilities will be enhanced with the addition of direct computer dispatch and message capabilities added to each patrol vehicle. Deputies will be able to receive calls for service and other information on laptop computers in their vehicles and can report final dispositions back to CDC.  This will help to reduce current radio traffic and provide better radio access for those responding to the more urgent calls.  It will also reduce some of the current workload on our communications personnel, as many of the call dispositions and comments currently reported over the radio can be recorded onto the CAD directly from the car laptop.