Introduction
History
Structure
Duties

Communication Center

The City of Bethlehem operates its Communication Center at 10 E. Church Street in a secure area of the Police Department, with an emergency back-up center located in a separate facility one mile away. The center has state-of-the-art Enhanced 9-1-1 equipment, including (6) call answering stations and consoles, telephone equipment, voice activated recorders and a radio system with multiple radio channels..

When a 9-1-1 call is received, the system automatically identifies the telephone number of the calling party and accesses a database for the associated name and address of the caller. After the preliminary inquiry will determine the location and nature of the caller in which the call taker classifies the call. All information received from the caller is then typed into the City’s “Computer Aided Dispatch” (CAD) system and routed to the appropriate dispatcher. The CAD system verifies the name, address and telephone number of the caller and displays the the nearest cross streets to the caller’s address, as well as pertinent emergency services information. The center’s advanced computer mapping system can pinpoint the caller’s location to aid in directing units to the scene. The Communication Specialist then dispatches the appropriate City emergency services.

In 2009, the Communication Center handled (211,421) calls. Approximately (21,597) of these calls were received as 9-1-1 cell phone calls.

The City of Bethlehem has traditionally dispatched its own emergency services, such as police, fire, and EMS. Before the technological advances that led to the use of “portable police radios” in 1965, officers who walked the beat had to rely on their police whistle to notify other beat officers of a problem and were required to make regular “check-ins” to headquarters by utilizing phones at local businesses along their beat. A single dispatch center was established in 1972, where until 1989, emergency calls to the City’s dispatch center were filed by hand utilizing a seven-digit numbering system. During April 1988, the City Administration began planning and working towards instituting the computer aided dispatch and 9-1-1 emergency telephone services within the City. City representatives met with representatives from Bell of Pennsylvania and, in 1989, 9-1-1 service supplying Automatic Number Identification (ANI) went online. The completion of the system was accomplished during January 1991, when the Automatic Location Identification (ALI) portion was initiated. Currently, the enhanced 9-1-1 service providers are working on improving the ALI system to include automatic identification and location of 9-1-1 cell phone calls.

The Communication Center is in the Administration Bureau of the Bethlehem Police Department and comes under the command of a Police Captain. The staff consists of: (5) civilian Communication Specialist Supervisors, (16) civilian Communication Specialists, and is supplemented by (6) part-time civilian Communication Specialists.

The Communication Center receives all incoming complaints and reports of crime. Communication Center personnel operate multi-frequency radio equipment and mobile data computer terminals to dispatch police, fire, and emergency medical services within the city. They process, index and file the warrants and court orders that are received by the department to be served by the police officers when a person is located.

Captain - The Captain is responsible for planning and administering all aspects of the Communications Center. The Captain makes regular quality assurance checks and files all required state and federal operational reports.

Communication Specialist Supervisor - The Communications Supervisor is the first-line supervisory position responsible for overseeing the general work activity of the Communications Specialists on an assigned shift. During the course of duty, the supervisor provides direction, guidance, training, and ensures compliance with rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures. Supervisors must have 5 or more years of sevice plus under go 84 hours of classroom and hands on training, which is followed by a written and practical examination. They receive all the training of the Communication Specialist plus additional instruction consisting of management skills, resource locations, technical troubleshooting, public relations, departmental chain of command, and policy methods. Certification must be renewed every 3 years.

Communication Specialist - The Communication Specialist is responsible for taking all calls made by the general public to the 9-1-1 emergency center and for gathering the essential information from the caller to determine whether or not emergency response services are needed at the location or incident described by the caller. They also maintain status and locations of all active calls for service and all active public safety personnel. Communication Specialists must have knowledge of law enforcement terminology and procedures, geography of the City of Bethlehem and surrounding areas, skill in communicating using two-way radios and be able to think clearly and act quickly in emergencies. Multi-tasking is an essential part of the job. Communication Specialists work shift work encompassing a 24 hours a day/7 days a week inclusive of days, evening, nights, Holidays and weekends. They must also be willing to attend mandatory traning and meetings after normal work hours and may be subject to "call offs" on short notice.

These individuals must pass written and practical tests before being certified to work in the center. Training includes 156 hours of classroom and hands on instruction involving: telephone techniques; crisis call taking; incident specific information; interrogation skills; prioritization of calls; non-English speaking calls; text telephone for the deaf, hearing and speech impaired; abandoned 9-1-1 calls; silent 9-1-1 calls; roles and responsibilities of the call taker; interpersonal skills and stress management; 9-1-1 center terminology; verification skills; use of 9-1-1 center computer equipment; documentation skills; and geography of the 9-1-1 center service area. In addition, Specialists must receive special training in order to be certified to dispatch the various emergency services. Police dispatch requires 84 hours, Fire requires 58 hours, and EMS requires 54 hours of instruction. Certification must be renewed every 3 years.