Niobrara County Sheriff Office
Communications
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Sheriff |
Emergency Call |
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| Non-Emergency (307) 334-2240 |
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Our Mission Statement:
We are dedicated to Niobrara County, it's communities, citizens, families, and first responders. Through our efforts we will provide service, protection and assistance to everyone whether they reside here or are just passing through our county.
We are dedicated to Niobrara County, it's communities, citizens, families, and first responders. Through our efforts we will provide service, protection and assistance to everyone whether they reside here or are just passing through our county.
Niobrara County, Wyoming is a unique place to work and live. Being located in the least populated county in the least populated state in the union has many rewards for those who call Niobrara County home. Many of the local public know all of our officers, firefighters and EMT's some of you even have their cell phone numbers. If you own a police scanner you probably have even heard our voices on the radio.
The entire county population is just under 2,500 people, of that around 1,500 live in the Town of Lusk, Wyoming. Each year tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people pass through our county via US 18-20 and US 18-85. Their expectation is to have the same level of emergency service that a larger community would provide them in an emergency. This can be a challenge for us with the vast miles of openness and limited cell phone service, the immediate call to 9-1-1 is not likely. By the time our first responders arrive on scene a lot of time can pass. Same day service is our goal just because at times we cannot get there any quicker, due to winter weather and traffic that does not yield to emergency vehicles. When we lose any life in our county, we all feel the pain in our community.
The Niobrara County Communications Center goal is to mitigate emergencies, often sending more resources than is necessary. When it doubt, we send them all out! We know that we can always turn them around if they are not needed.
The Niobrara County Communication Center is here to dispatch and warn the public of emergencies.
Civil Defense Siren:
We have the means to sound a civil defense siren in the communities of Manville and Lusk, Wyoming. We perform a daily test of the system at noon. If you did not hear the noon test give us a call. The siren is also activated when we have fire or a weather situation that is going to effect our population centers. It is important to understand what the different tones sound like and mean. Additional questions can be directed to the Emergency Management Coordinator.
The communication center will soon be adding a phone alerting system to warn the public of emergency events by phone. The dispatcher will record a voice message stating the nature of the emergency or give other instructions. The system will then call your phone and the message will be heard. Currently when our communication center needs to perform a weather or other emergency fan-out, also known as a Warnex, they call each number from a list of numbers and the person who receives the Warnex then calls persons on their own fan-out list. This process is inefficient, the reverse 911 system will allow our dispatchers to notify a lot more people in a timely manner.
9-1-1 Calls
Many people will never need to call 9-1-1, but the system is in Niobrara County. When a caller calls 9-1-1 our dispatch center will see written text on a computer screen of who is calling and the address were the call is being made from. Our dispatchers will still need to ask you where you are calling from and if the emergency is at that location. Please stay on 9-1-1 until the dispatcher gives you additional instructions.
Should you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone we will be able to lock into your cell phone and know the location of your cell phone by GPS and computer mapping. As long as you are on the phone with 9-1-1 we will be able to track your phone as it moves. Because of the vastness of Wyoming and limited cell phone service your cellphone 9-1-1 call may go into another county. The receiving agency will then relay your information to us or from us, to them.
Hardwired landline phones for persons who do not have a cell phone and depend upon corded phone to call. The Niobrara County Communications can add additional information about where you live or special instructions that you want us aware of should you ever need to call 9-1-1. This feature can be handy should your place be in a rural area off of a normal county road. Or, you have special medical concerns or want us to contact a neighbor or family member should we need to send an ambulance or fire personnel to your address.
VoIP - With high speed internet, Voice over Internet Protocol is becoming popular. Ensure your VoIP service provider has the correct address listed should you ever need to call 9-1-1 from a VoIP phone.
9-1-1 Hang-ups.
We understand that dialing 9-1-1 takes a conscious effort to press the three numbers or a single programmed button. Should you do this by accident, do not hang-up, wait for the dispatcher to answer the phone. Explain to them the reason for calling and if it was an accident. The dispatcher may ask you a few questions and or send a police officer to the address anyway.
Ghost 9-1-1's
For some unknown reason, your phone can call 9-1-1 without you knowing it. Usually this is because their is something wrong with your phone line, either it has been cut or some part of the line is exposed to weather elements.
On our end of the 9-1-1 call, we get your address information and no one on the other end to talk with us. In Niobrara County these type of calls become "unknown possible emergencies" at your address. Unless we are currently aware that you are having phone problems a police officer, deputy sheriff or state trooper will be dispatched to your address to check on you. This issue can be frustrating having a police officer knocking on your door at three in the morning asking if your phone is working or if you need any help. Until the phone service provider fixes the problem, we will still continue to send out an officer to Ghost 9-1-1's.
In addition to answering 9-1-1 calls we also take non-emergency phone calls and talk on different radio systems to emergency service and law enforcement. Our communications center is tied into the federal and other state communications computer systems. These systems are known as NCIC, NLETS and WCJIN. Access to these system is limited to law enforcement only.
Our dispatchers are the official time keepers for all events. Each call into the communication center is recorded. Our dispatcher will use a computer to create an event detail, also known as a CFS or call for service. The CFS allows us to search a database to better understand problem areas, and make the required monthly activity reports to be published in the paper and to also be sent to the FBI for Victim and Crime Reporting.
An emergency service dispatcher is often a thankless and unknown career. It is like reading a lot of books at once and never getting to know the ending to the story.
Meet our Communications Dispatchers
The entire county population is just under 2,500 people, of that around 1,500 live in the Town of Lusk, Wyoming. Each year tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people pass through our county via US 18-20 and US 18-85. Their expectation is to have the same level of emergency service that a larger community would provide them in an emergency. This can be a challenge for us with the vast miles of openness and limited cell phone service, the immediate call to 9-1-1 is not likely. By the time our first responders arrive on scene a lot of time can pass. Same day service is our goal just because at times we cannot get there any quicker, due to winter weather and traffic that does not yield to emergency vehicles. When we lose any life in our county, we all feel the pain in our community.
The Niobrara County Communications Center goal is to mitigate emergencies, often sending more resources than is necessary. When it doubt, we send them all out! We know that we can always turn them around if they are not needed.
The Niobrara County Communication Center is here to dispatch and warn the public of emergencies.
Civil Defense Siren:
We have the means to sound a civil defense siren in the communities of Manville and Lusk, Wyoming. We perform a daily test of the system at noon. If you did not hear the noon test give us a call. The siren is also activated when we have fire or a weather situation that is going to effect our population centers. It is important to understand what the different tones sound like and mean. Additional questions can be directed to the Emergency Management Coordinator.
- Hi-Lo siren: Indicates that a county fire either structure or wild-land fire has been reported some place in the county.
- Wail siren: Indicates that fire has been reported in the town of Lusk.
- Tornado siren: Indicates a tornado has been spotted. Take shelter now!
- An Air Horn siren: Indicates an all clear and the emergency has passed.
The communication center will soon be adding a phone alerting system to warn the public of emergency events by phone. The dispatcher will record a voice message stating the nature of the emergency or give other instructions. The system will then call your phone and the message will be heard. Currently when our communication center needs to perform a weather or other emergency fan-out, also known as a Warnex, they call each number from a list of numbers and the person who receives the Warnex then calls persons on their own fan-out list. This process is inefficient, the reverse 911 system will allow our dispatchers to notify a lot more people in a timely manner.
9-1-1 Calls
Many people will never need to call 9-1-1, but the system is in Niobrara County. When a caller calls 9-1-1 our dispatch center will see written text on a computer screen of who is calling and the address were the call is being made from. Our dispatchers will still need to ask you where you are calling from and if the emergency is at that location. Please stay on 9-1-1 until the dispatcher gives you additional instructions.
Should you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone we will be able to lock into your cell phone and know the location of your cell phone by GPS and computer mapping. As long as you are on the phone with 9-1-1 we will be able to track your phone as it moves. Because of the vastness of Wyoming and limited cell phone service your cellphone 9-1-1 call may go into another county. The receiving agency will then relay your information to us or from us, to them.
Hardwired landline phones for persons who do not have a cell phone and depend upon corded phone to call. The Niobrara County Communications can add additional information about where you live or special instructions that you want us aware of should you ever need to call 9-1-1. This feature can be handy should your place be in a rural area off of a normal county road. Or, you have special medical concerns or want us to contact a neighbor or family member should we need to send an ambulance or fire personnel to your address.
VoIP - With high speed internet, Voice over Internet Protocol is becoming popular. Ensure your VoIP service provider has the correct address listed should you ever need to call 9-1-1 from a VoIP phone.
9-1-1 Hang-ups.
We understand that dialing 9-1-1 takes a conscious effort to press the three numbers or a single programmed button. Should you do this by accident, do not hang-up, wait for the dispatcher to answer the phone. Explain to them the reason for calling and if it was an accident. The dispatcher may ask you a few questions and or send a police officer to the address anyway.
Ghost 9-1-1's
For some unknown reason, your phone can call 9-1-1 without you knowing it. Usually this is because their is something wrong with your phone line, either it has been cut or some part of the line is exposed to weather elements.
On our end of the 9-1-1 call, we get your address information and no one on the other end to talk with us. In Niobrara County these type of calls become "unknown possible emergencies" at your address. Unless we are currently aware that you are having phone problems a police officer, deputy sheriff or state trooper will be dispatched to your address to check on you. This issue can be frustrating having a police officer knocking on your door at three in the morning asking if your phone is working or if you need any help. Until the phone service provider fixes the problem, we will still continue to send out an officer to Ghost 9-1-1's.
In addition to answering 9-1-1 calls we also take non-emergency phone calls and talk on different radio systems to emergency service and law enforcement. Our communications center is tied into the federal and other state communications computer systems. These systems are known as NCIC, NLETS and WCJIN. Access to these system is limited to law enforcement only.
Our dispatchers are the official time keepers for all events. Each call into the communication center is recorded. Our dispatcher will use a computer to create an event detail, also known as a CFS or call for service. The CFS allows us to search a database to better understand problem areas, and make the required monthly activity reports to be published in the paper and to also be sent to the FBI for Victim and Crime Reporting.
An emergency service dispatcher is often a thankless and unknown career. It is like reading a lot of books at once and never getting to know the ending to the story.
Meet our Communications Dispatchers
| Communication Supervisor |
J. Carpenter
{Bio information will appear here in the future.} |
| Dispatcher TAC / FTO |
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L. D. Stone
{Bio information will appear here in the future.} |
| Dispatcher |
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E. Applegarth
{Bio information will appear here in the future.} |
| Dispatcher |
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R. Edmonds
{Bio information will appear here in the future.} |
| Dispatcher |
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C. Costamagna
{Bio information will appear here in the future.} |
| Dispatcher |
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R. Mazac-Krull
{Bio information will appear here in the future.} |
| Dispatcher |
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