The Bureau of Communications is responsible for the operation of a central telephone service desk and radio communications system for the department, authorized agencies, and municipalities contracting for 911 and communications services.   Daily operations include monitoring and dispatching six dispatch consoles and several hundred inter-operable radio talk groups essential to daily operations.

The bureau on average answers close to 800,000 incoming telephone calls requesting emergency 911 services or other items of information and dispatches approximately 450,000 calls for service per year with 83 employees. The average emergency call answer time is 5.23 seconds.

The Bureau of Communications is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

The St. Louis County Police Department, Bureau of Communications, is an organization within the Division of Operational Support.  The Bureau is responsible for the operation of a central telephone service desk and radio communications for the department, authorized agencies, and 37 municipalities contracting for 911 and communications services.   The Public Safety Dispatchers process, answer, and evaluate incoming phone calls to determine the level of service needed; and then dispatch police officers or other services to provide the appropriate response.  Daily operations include monitoring and dispatching six separate radio consoles with the ability to monitor and dispatch on hundreds more available on the radio system. 

To keep pace with the ever emerging technology available to public safety, the St Louis County Emergency Communications Commission (ECC) and the St Louis County Police Department Bureau of Communications and Office of  Emergency Management partnered to build a 30,000 square foot Communications and Emergency Operations facility at 1150 Hanna Rd. in Ohlendorf West Park.  

The Bureau of Communications moved into this facility and began operations on June 3, 2015 with a seamless transition from the legacy VHF radio system to the new St. Louis Area Trunked Emergency Radio System (SLATER).  The new radio system is an advanced digital 800 MHz trunked radio network designed and built by Motorola. The completion of this project was a benefit to all public safety entities in the St. Louis region by increasing the level of interoperability between the City of St Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties, the State of Missouri, Federal Law Enforcement agencies, and some public service agencies in Illinois. 

The new facility has the capability to staff 15 radio positions, and with the implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 we will have 21 9-1-1 phone positions. The Bureau serves as a 24-hour per day lifeline for police officers providing relevant information, access to additional resources, and constant inter-agency communications.

The Bureau answers on average, over 88% of 911 calls in under 10 seconds with 83 authorized employees and is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Bureau of Communications offers training to individuals hired as a Public Safety Dispatcher.  The St Louis County Police Department Public Safety Dispatcher Training Academy offers six weeks of rigorous classroom training which satisfies some state training requirements and introduces the students to department policies and procedures, state and local criminal databases, and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software applications.  Once the student graduates from the academy they transition to live training as a call taker or radio dispatcher with an experienced trainer.  After another 10 to 12 weeks of live training the candidate is released to work independently as a Public Safety Dispatcher.  The Dispatch training Academy has an 83% success rate in graduating students who successfully complete their initial training.

Joining the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Communications means you will be part of a team of professional Public Safety Dispatchers in the greater St. Louis area. The work environment is challenging, fast-paced and exciting. Most of all, you will be given the opportunity to make a positive difference each day in the lives of others.

Want to become a Public Safety Dispatcher? Apply Here

The Bureau of Communications is independently accredited through CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies)

The Bureau opted to work toward the Public Safety Communications Accreditation, which it received in 2010, to enhance the prior CALEA Accreditation it received under the St. Louis County Police Department. Accreditation is a continuing process and remains in effect for three years. Being the first of only two Communications Centers awarded the CALEA Tri-Arc Accreditation in the State, the Bureau of Communications is in a class of its own.

I acknowledge respect for human life, recognizing diversity among the members of the communities I serve.

I will exhibit honesty and integrity through ethical behavior.

I will be obedient to the laws of St. Louis County, the State of Missouri and the United States of America.

I will not, in the performance of my duty, work for personal advantage or profit.

 I recognize that I am a public servant, and that ultimately I am responsible to the public.

I will give the most efficient, impartial and courteous service of which I am capable, at all times.

I will regard my fellow employees with the same standards as I maintain myself.

I will accept responsibility for my actions.

I will recognize the positive relationship between good physical and mental conditioning and the performance of my duties.

I will do only those things that will reflect honor on me, my fellow employees, my supervisors and my agency.