Communications

Division Background

The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Communications Division, more commonly known as 911 Dispatch, acts as the public safety answering point (PSAP) for the seven municipalities in Sherburne County. The Sheriff provides public safety radio network for the Becker, Big Lake, and Elk River police departments as well as the fire departments in:

  • Baldwin
  • Becker
  • Big Lake
  • Clear Lake
  • Elk River
  • Zimmerman

The communications center is responsible for dispatching all law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) within Sherburne County. In 2017, there were 71,781 incoming calls for service handled by the communications center. That is an average of 196 calls for service per day. Many of these calls were handled further by trained dispatchers to provide additional assistance to citizens and law enforcement alike.

Staff

There are 2 Dispatch Supervisors, 12 full-time dispatchers and 3 part-time dispatchers that work in the communications center, providing 24 hour coverage. Minimum staffing at all times is 2 dispatchers, however, there are generally 3 dispatchers working during peak call load hours.

Key Features

  • Coordinated county-wide emergency services response effort
  • State-of-the-art technology
  • Staffing 24 hours per day

The Communications / Dispatch center is the nerve center for law enforcement in the county. From any 1 of 4 stations, dispatchers can direct the efforts of law enforcement and monitor activity anywhere within the 431 square miles of Sherburne County. There are 2 dispatch supervisors,12 dispatchers, along with 3 part-time dispatchers available when needed, who work rotating, 10 and 12 hour shifts.

Dispatch Center worker with many computer screens

Feedback

As part of our ongoing effort to maintain the highest level of service to our community, we welcome feedback on the quality of that service.

Comments regarding our service can be submitted to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which is a U.S.-based credentialing authority whose primary mission is to accredit public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies. CALEA has a Public Comment Portal, the purpose of which is to receive comments regarding an agency's compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. 

These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide the participating agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster the pursuit of professional excellence.

IMPORTANT: CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes.  Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgement to submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.  

Submit comments to the CALEA portal here: https://cimrs2.calea.org/984

Our Sheriff's Office also welcomes feedback on the service provided by our Communications Division. You can offer that feedback in our feedback form.