TALLMADGE – Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree joined other county officials, several area mayors, and dispatch center staff at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, October 6th to officially open the Summit Emergency Communications Center (SECC).
“This consolidated and innovative form of dispatching will allow us to respond quicker and more efficiently to emergency calls from our residents,” said Sheriff Fatheree. “It’s a game changer, and a life saver. It’s also a wonderful example of how different communities, jurisdictions, and county offices can work together to improve safety and boost efficiency.”
Renovation to the former Summit DD property began in February 2022. The new state-of-the-art facility consolidates the dispatch operations of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, along with ten police agencies and six fire departments from throughout Summit County. In total, it will serve roughly 300,000 of the county’s 540,000 residents.
The consolidated nature of the SECC will speed up emergency response times by eliminating the transfer of 911 calls and the need to initiate mutual aid requests between jurisdictions. It will also better allow for the transition to NextGen 911 technology, allowing residents to send texts, images, and video to dispatchers.
The full dispatch staff of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office began work at the new facility on Tuesday, October 10th , responding to their first 911 calls shortly after dawn.
