One of the newer departments for the city, the Odessa Public Safety Communication Department, lays the groundwork for the complex role of the public safety dispatcher. The public safety dispatchers can make the difference between life and death through the proper use of 9-1-1 emergencies for Police, Fire, and EMS. The public safety dispatcher’s specialized skills and equipment can minimize the risks faced by field personnel and enhance the quality of service to the public.

The Public Safety Communication Department functions embrace several areas:

• Call taking, which entails 9-1-1 and Medical Priority to citizens
• Dispatching Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Service
• Support services to police officers through the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS) and the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS).

THE BEGINNING…

On April 1, 1970, Odessa was the first city in Texas to offer 9-1-1 emergency service. The citizens of Ector County later created the Ector County 9-1-1 District in November 1987 by general referendum. During the past 10 years, the call volume has reached 50,000 calls annually.

AND NOW…

Mobile phone calls exceeded calls received from residents in 2000. (Mobile phone calls generated 42.1%; resident’s phones generated 40.8% of all calls received via 9-1-1.)

Citizens calling 9-1-1 for medical service can receive needed help via Medical Priority while the ambulance is responding. These instruction categories include:

• Bleeding and shock wounds
• Sudden illness
• Poisoning
• Bites and stings
• Heat and cold related emergencies
• Procedures for rescue breathing and CPR
• Care of the choking victim
• Automated External Defibrillation

THE BEGINNING…

The Texas Department of Public Safety Bureau of Communication was created by the 44th Texas Legislature in  1935. The Bureau was charged with providing for the rapid exchange of information concerning the commission of crimes and the detection of violators of the law enforcement agencies of this state, its counties and municipalities, other states and the national government.

Until 1937, communication between state and other law enforcement agencies in Texas was accomplished by telephone and telegraph service. These first Teletype terminals were similar to later model toll TWX equipment, and messages were exchanged with the assistance of a long-distance telephone operator.

By the mid 1940s, this TWX system had been expanded to include each of the department’s 14 district offices. The period of 1963-1965 showed improvement and message transmission rates were advanced and expanded to include the Permian Basin Loop housing. During this era, the messages between were accomplished by manual paper tape relayed by operators in the Communication Center.

In 1970, DPS leased its first electronic message switching system, which eliminated the torn tape relay operation and connected 90 terminals from the various sub-loops to the system. Beginning in 1977, LEAA funds were made available to law enforcement agencies to purchase CRT terminals in an effort to upgrade the telecommunication system.

As of February 1, 1980, there were a total of 586 terminals on the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunication System.

AND NOW…

Needless to say, technology has progressed to the next generation. Today, it is common to do 14,500 transactions monthly through TLETS.