DeKalb County recognizes those on the other side of 911

SYCAMORE – Telecommunication plays a vital role in how first responders hear about and react to emergency situations, and in April government leaders throughout DeKalb County took time to thank the people behind the scenes for their service.

Sycamore Police Chief Jim Winters said he thinks it’s appropriate to have a national recognition week for those who work as dispatch operators in the communication center of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

“They are really some of the unsung heroes in public safety. They’re kind of behind the scenes, you don’t see them. I, frankly, don’t know a lot of them by face, just by voice, but they do a lot of stuff that we never even see, and the stuff they do do is very important,” Winters said.

On April 15, Sycamore City Council approved a proclamation declaring April 14-20, 2024, to be National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in the city. The city of DeKalb issued a similar proclamation April 8.

The national recognition is meant to show public support for some first responders who’s faces never get shown: They’re the voice on the other end of 911.

“If there’s something bad going on, they’re really kind of the first notification that we have to pick up on stuff, or they really calm down citizens who call in who are in an emotional state. Some of them have done CPR over the phone with people. So they are very much deserving of this recognition,” Winters said.

“They work extremely hard all hours of the day and night, all weather conditions, many of them driving ... some distance to get to our communications centers.”

—  Lt. Joseph Rood, DeKalb County Sheriff's Office

In DeKalb County, many telecommunicators, sometimes called dispatchers, work in a centralized place at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office in Sycamore. The teams provide 911 services 24/7 to surrounding smaller agencies, including the Sycamore Police Department.

In 2019, dispatch networks across the county underwent consolidation.

The changes included consolidating four 911 response centers in the county to two: one for the city of DeKalb, the other at the Sheriff’s Office for the rest of the county. Countywide policing agencies also installed new software called Next Generation 911, which rewired 911 calls from a VHF radio network to a digital system through fiber-optic cables. The software was mandated by the state as a means to standardize and upgrade multimedia capabilities for first responders responding to 911 calls.

Northern Illinois University police and the Sandwich Police Department consolidated their dispatch center to DeKalb and the county center. Telecommunicators working on those offices answer all 911 calls and then reroute responses to policing and fire agencies based on jurisdictions.

The DeKalb County Board also recognized telecommunications at its April 17 meeting.

Communications Lt. Joseph Rood of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office accepted the recognition on behalf of his team.

“I serve these people, it has been an honor to work with them,” Rood said.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center serves 10 police departments and 12 fire departments from within DeKalb County. The city of DeKalb is the only large municipality in the county not served by the communications center.

Rood said DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office telecommunicators are inside the communications center 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long – regardless of the weather.

“They work extremely hard all hours of the day and night, all weather conditions, many of them driving ... some distance to get to our communications centers. We physically staff them, even in winter storm conditions,” Rood said. “They are extremely dedicated and [it’s] an extremely vital role to getting people the emergency services they need.”