The Communications Center

The Menlo Park Police Communications Center is comprised of 12 Dispatchers and a supervisor. Dispatchers work 12-hour shifts and provide the community with 24-hour service 7 days per week. Each dispatcher is trained and committed to assisting citizens. Dispatchers evaluate situations and dispatch officers when necessary, as well as refer callers to other city departments or public agencies.

In November 2006 the Menlo Park Communications Center consolidated dispatch services with the City of San Carlos. The Center now receives and dispatches calls for both cities from the Menlo Park Police Station. Last year Menlo Park Communications alone processed over 60,000 emergency and non-emergency incidents.

While the Communications Officers have a variety of responsibilities, their focus primarily centers on:

• Answering emergency and non-emergency calls for service from the public, other agencies and patrol (including 9-1-1).
• Prioritizing, assigning calls for service, and updating field units with pertinent information.
• Monitoring the units' status and maintaining radio contact during critical incidents.
• Data entry into the various local, state, and national law enforcement computer systems.

Calling 911

911 is dedicated for emergency calls only, such as crimes in progress involving imminent threat to life, bodily injury, or property damage or loss. Some examples are medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, burglaries in progress, thefts in progress, vandalism in progress, etc.

Cellular 911 calls

All cellular 9-1-1 telephone calls made within the City of Menlo Park and in the City San Carlos are answered by the Communications staff in Menlo Park and dispatched accordingly. Calls on or near the freeway will continue to route to the California Highway patrol.