Alachua County Sheriff's Office

Communications Operations Bureau

Bureau Chief Patricia Ford-Thomas
(352) 264-6662
pfordthomas@alachuasheriff.org

The Communications Operations Bureau is comprised of the front line Public Safety Telecommunicators and Supervisors who staff the Combined Communications Center on a 24/7 basis. The Communications Operations Bureau is responsible for receiving and processing all calls for public safety assistance or information.

Call Takers answer incoming telephone calls received on emergency 9-1-1 lines, administrative non-emergency lines, and various other sources. These calls are triaged to determine what type and level of services are required. Call Takers have a wide array of informational resources avai lable which allow them to provide the most effective level of assistance required for the situation. Calls are entered into a Computer Aided Dispatch System and sent to Radio Operators who dispatch the appropriate law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical resources to the scene.

Radio Operators serve as the “Air Traffic Controllers” for public safety personnel. There are several radio dispatch positions in the Combined Communications Center. Each radio dispatch position has responsibility for a specific function, such as law enforcement, fire-rescue, or information/support which handles transactions through a national/state criminal justice computer network.

Radio Operators receive calls for service which are entered by the Call Takers. Radio Operators evaluate the information, and with assistance from the Computer Aided Dispatch System, make a determination on the most appropriate type and number of units to dispatch. Radio Operators constantly interact with the many public safety units they are responsible for; deploying them to calls, tracking their status, ensuring their safety, providing additional resources and support, just to list a few.

The Operations Bureau of the Combined Communications Center is truly the “primary focal point” for our public safety system in the city of Gainesville and throughout Alachua County. Beginning with the initial 9-1-1 call for help, and ending when the last public safety unit leaves the scene, the Operations Bureau is the lifeline of our organization and provides critical emergency services our community depends on.