The Howard County 911 Dispatch Center received a total of 10,151 calls in 2020. Nearly half of those calls were for the Howard County Sheriff’s Department.

The 911 Dispatch Center provides dispatching and centralized communications for police departments in Fayette, Glasgow, and New Franklin, along with the Sheriff’s Department, Howard County Ambulance, and all fire departments and fire districts in the county. It covers an area of 466 square miles with a population of approximately 9,940 residents, plus more than 1,100 students on the campus of Central Methodist University. 

Of the more than 10,000 calls handled last year, 8,433 were for law enforcement. The dispatch reports that 4,227 were for the sheriff’s department, 2,672 were for the Fayette police, with 865 calls for Glasgow police, and 634 for New Franklin police. Thirty-five calls were for the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The Howard County Ambulance received 1,230 dispatches. All of the fire departments in the county combined for 488 calls last year.

Howard County 911 was established in 1997. It answers emergency and non-emergency calls for service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is funded solely by .625 of 1 percent of the county’s sales tax, and .625 of 1 percent use tax for goods purchased online. 

“People shopping locally and online help support 911 in providing this valuable service to the citizens of Howard County,” said Connie Kunze, President of Howard County 911 Board of Directors.

The 911 Dispatch Center is independent of all other emergency services and operates as its own entity with a seven-member Board of Directors. Members are elected to four-year terms. Three members are elected from the eastern district, three from the western district and one member is elected at-large.