911
Dispatch
The Sonoma County Dispatch Center is located in Santa Rosa, California. We provide both emergency and non-emergency dispatching services for the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County, Town of Windsor, City of Sonoma and the Probation Department.
The center is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Dispatchers never know what the next call will bring. It could be an armed robbery; an infant not breathing; a house on fire; a vehicle accident with injuries, or a minor noise complaint. Dispatchers are trained to obtain information and dispatch help for any emergency.
Yearly, the Communication Center processes approximately 30,000 incoming 911 calls and 132,000 non-emergency calls.
When to Call 911
If you do call 911, even by mistake, please do not hang up the phone.
The most important thing to remember about 911 is when to use it. It is not meant to be used to contact the Sheriff's Office about routine matters. 911 is solely used to report emergencies.
Examples include:
To report a crime in progress or a crime that just occurred
To report a fire
A medical emergency that requires Fire/Paramedic response
What is an emergency?
An emergency is when immediate Police, Fire Department or Paramedic assistance is necessary to protect life or property.
Non-emergencies
The non-emergency phone line is 707-565-2121. Non-emergencies include:
When a crime has already occurred and the offenders are no longer on scene
For nuisance calls (for example landscape and construction noise)
All other non-emergency situations
What happens when you call 911
The Dispatcher will ask you questions to determine the type of emergency you have (Police, Fire, Medical). Remember to:
Remain on the line
Stay calm
Answer all the dispatchers questions:
What is happening?
Where is it happening?
What is the callers’ telephone number?
Who is involved?
Are there any weapons?
When did it occur?
