National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is celebrated each year during the second week of April. In 2025, it will be observed from April 13th to April 19th.
“During this week, we honor the dedication and hard work of our EPSO telecommunications team, including dispatchers, call-takers, dispatch technicians, trainers, and all public safety telecommunicators who respond when called upon,” said El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal. “To our unseen heroes behind the console, the voice on the line—thank you for being the ‘first’ responder at the scene, the calm in the storm, and for showing compassion to the citizens of the Pikes Peak region.
“Your commitment, kindness, and professionalism save lives and keep our law enforcement officers and first responders safer every day. We appreciate you and are grateful!”
In 1981, a dispatcher from California founded Telecommunicators Week to raise public awareness about the vital work of public safety telecommunicators. Ten years later, in 1991, Congress officially recognized the week with a proclamation signed by President Clinton, designating the second full week of April as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Regional Communications Center is responsible for handling emergency (911) and non-emergency calls for unincorporated El Paso County, the United States Air Force Academy, and all municipalities in the county, other than Colorado Springs. The Communications Center provides dispatch services for eight law enforcement agencies, 20 fire agencies, and a growing number of special response teams.
In 2024, the Communications Center managed more than 82,500 emergency (911) calls, over 135,000 administrative calls, and placed more than 56,500 outbound calls to assist citizens in El Paso County. Text-to-911 services enabled 398 people to reach 911 when voice calls were not possible or practical.
Technological advancements have helped the Communication Center improve response times by streamlining call entry processes. Enhanced Emergency Call Back technology has also been effective in clearing abandoned wireless 911 calls through automated text messaging, addressing 974 abandoned calls without the need for call-taker intervention.
In 2024, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Regional Communications Center achieved an average 911 call answer time of just 7.66 seconds, with 88.72% of 911 calls answered within 15 seconds. Additionally, our dispatchers and 911 call takers processed nearly 270,000 calls for service, including law enforcement, fire, and medical emergencies.
