The Westminster Communications division is responsible for answering all 911 emergency phone calls, non-emergency phone calls and dispatching for the Westminster Police & Fire units. They also dispatch for Animal Management and often communicate with the Standley Lake Rangers and various City departments.
Dispatchers are trained to process and prioritize multiple phone calls at once while also working a police or fire radio channel. They utilize multiple computer systems to create calls for service, log responder locations, check for wants/warrants, etc. All of the dispatchers are trained in emergency medical dispatch (EMD) so they can provide life-saving information to callers while an ambulance is on the way. They are trained to walk callers though CPR, child birth, and other non-life threatening medical emergencies.
Calling 911
911 should be reserved for life or death emergencies – the situation urgently requires police, fire, or medical assistance. 911 is also for any crime that is in progress.
Our non-emergency phone number (303 658 4360) can be utilized for non-emergency crime that is not life threatening, not in progress, or no suspect is present. It can also be utilized to file a crime report or for general police, fire, or animal management questions.
The first question the dispatcher will ask is for your exact location. This is the first and most important question so they will know where to send help. Landline phones provide us the address but cell phones do not. Cell phones may provide varying location information to the dispatchers so it is important to tell the dispatcher exactly where to send help.
Once the location of the emergency is determined, the dispatcher may need to transfer your call to another agency so the proper law enforcement or fire agency can respond to your location.
Because the dispatchers are handling multiple phone lines at once, they may need to place you on hold while they process a phone call of a higher priority. If this occurs, please be patient and do not hang up.
911 mis-dials and hang up calls
If you notice that you accidentally dialed 911, remain on the line and explain to the dispatcher that you dialed 911 in error.
If the dispatcher received a 911 “pocket dial” or a hang up call, they will make at least two attempts to call you back in an effort to make sure you are OK and that you do not need assistance.
Text to 911
Westminster Communications is set up to receive Texts to 911. If you are in a situation where it is unsafe for you or you are unable to make a voice call to 911, simply send a text to 911. You will still need to be able to provide your location and the details of the emergency. If Text to 911 is not available in your area you will received a bounce-back message indicating that you must make a voice call to 911. Calling 911 is preferred as it a quicker and more efficient way to gather information about the emergency. CALL IF YOU CAN, TEXT IF YOU MUST.
Emergency Notification System
Dispatching Calls
Emergency Notification System