Communications Bureau
Foster City Police Dispatch Center
The Foster City Communications Center is comprised of 5 Dispatchers, 1 Lead Dispatcher and is managed by the Dispatch Supervisor. Dispatchers work 10, 11 or 12-hour shifts and provide the community with 24-hour service 7 days per week. Each Dispatcher is trained and committed to assisting citizens. Dispatchers evaluate situations and dispatch Officers when necessary, as well as refer citizens to other City departments or public agencies.
Yearly, Foster City Dispatchers process over 29,000 emergency and non-emergency requests for assistance. While the Dispatchers have a variety of responsibilities, their focus primarily centers upon:
- Answering emergency and non-emergency requests for service from the public, other agencies and patrol (via 9-1-1, telephone, in person and e-mail).
- Prioritizing, assigning calls for service, and updating field units with pertinent information.
- Monitoring the field units' status and maintaining radio contact during critical incidents.
- Data entry and retrieval from various local, state and national law enforcement databases.
Calling 9-1-1
9-1-1 is dedicated for emergency calls only, such as crimes in progress involving imminent threat to life, bodily injury or property damage and/or loss. Some examples are medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, burglaries in progress, thefts in progress, vandalism in progress, etc.
Cellular 9-1-1 Calls
Cellular 9-1-1 telephone calls are supposed to be routed to the nearest Public Safety Answering Point. Since the system is not infallible, always be prepared to provide an address and / or a landmark where help is needed. If your call is received by the incorrect agency, you will be transferred to the appropriate agency for assistance.
