Rocky Mount Police Department increases 911 Center efficiency with renovations

The Rocky Mount Police Department revealed renovations to its 911 Center in an effort to increase efficiency.

The center fields all 911 calls in the City of Rocky Mount, amounting to more than 180,000 alerts in 2022.

The project updated the systems to the latest technology, put in new consoles and replaced equipment to meet industry standards. Rocky Mount Chief of Police Robert Hassell said it's a big improvement for the department.

“It’s going to allow our personnel to be more efficient," Hassell said. "We mean how they pick up those calls, how they are able to answer those calls, get the relevant information they need, and get the appropriate service dispatched to the person who may need it."

The renovations started last January, and personnel have been working at a backup center while the projects finish up.

E-911 Communications Manager Ebony Lyons said the updates are just as much about helping out the public as it is about helping the police department.

“These improvements are going to help them also, not just the telecommunication [team] and the police department. It’s going to help them process calls faster and more efficiently," Lyons said.

The department’s hope is to have the new center up and running by early December.