A busy year for Central Dispatch

St. Joseph County’s E-911 Central Dispatch fell short of a goal in 2015 but the objective remains a work in progress, according to agency director Dennis Brandenburg.
Presenting his department’s annual report to county commissioners last week, Brandenburg said his No. 1 goal in 2015 was to staff central dispatch fully.
Regarding accomplishments last year, Brandenburg said the agency received a new recorder in February. The device is helpful to staff in completing various reports, he said.
He said the department received about 38,000 911 calls in 2015, an increase from 33,000 the year before. Also, it fielded 152,000 non-emergency calls last year.
Eighty-nine percent of the calls it received last year were from cell phones, an increase from 75 percent in 2014.
Comparing 2014 numbers to 2015 statistics, Brandenburg said there was an increase in traffic stops. He said they were up countywide for all police agencies 40 percent from 2014 to last year.