TOULON – Illinois State Police (ISP) Director Brendan F. Kelly, joined by Illinois Statewide 911 Administrator Cindy Barbera-Brelle, Stark County Sheriff Steve Sloan, and Peoria-Stark Joint Emergency Telephone System Board Chairman David Tuttle, have announced every county in Illinois now has 911 service.
“This is a significant milestone for ISP’s Division of Statewide 911 and the whole state,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The agreement between these two counties means residents will see quicker response times as telecommunicators can get the appropriate first responders enroute sooner.”
Stark County entered into an agreement with Peoria County to create a Joint Emergency Telephone System Board so that Stark County residents and those traveling through the area can quickly and efficiently receive emergency services. This marks the successful completion of a monumental mission assigned to the Illinois State Police by the General Assembly in 2015.
Before this partnership, Stark County residents had to call a specific, 10-digit number for emergency services, such as the sheriff’s office or fire department. People traveling through Stark County who didn’t know which number to call had to be routed through other 911 systems, which meant more steps before police, fire, and EMS could be dispatched.
“With the intergovernmental agreement between Stark and Peoria counties, each county in Illinois now has a comprehensive and coordinated 911 system,” said ISP Illinois Statewide 911 Administrator Cindy Barbera-Brelle. “Illinois is continuing to migrate 911 systems to the State’s Next Generation 911 network, which will provide increased services and better responses in an emergency.”
In 2015, Public Act 99-0006 established consolidation requirements for public safety answering points (dispatch centers) and mandated the delivery of enhanced 911 to unserved counties. Since 2016, the Illinois Statewide 911 Administrator, with the advice and recommendation of the Statewide 911 Advisory Board, has awarded approximately $47.5 million in grants to 911 systems across the state from the 911 Consolidation Award Grant Program to ensure enhanced 911 service throughout Illinois.
“Stark County has finally reached the 21st Century with our 911,” said Stark County Sheriff Steven Sloan. “We will have faster response time to get to a call and we will know where they are calling from. Peoria County has been fantastic to work with, as they have so much knowledge on 911. I believe Stark County residents will be thrilled with the 911.”
“The partnership between Peoria and Stark County has been great,” said Peoria-Stark Joint Emergency Telephone System Board Chairperson David Tuttle. “Peoria County is thrilled to bring the same level of 911 service to the citizens of Stark County.”
Public Act 99-0006 also requires the establishment of a statewide Next Generation 911 network to enhance the delivery of 911 service to residents living in and traveling through the state of Illinois. Next Generation 911 is a system comprised of managed IP-based networks, gateways, functional elements, and databases that provide new methods of communication. It is designed to provide multimedia data capabilities, such as text and video, to first responders so they have more information and a “virtual on-scene” look of the incident to determine what resources are needed before they arrive. The system is also capable of providing more accurate locations to cellular users’ incidents in situations where they may not know where they are or are unable to communicate effectively.
There are 179 public safety answering points (911 centers) in Illinois, 158 of which have already switched over to Next Generation 911, and 21 are moving in that direction.
More information about the Division of Statewide 911 can be found on the ISP website.