Tarleton police dispatch switching to city’s call center beginning Oct. 5

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STEPHENVILLE —Stephenville Police Department began dispatching Tarleton State University police officers on all traditional police calls this morning.

To report a crime or request an officer, Tarleton faculty, staff and students should call 254-918-1273. For emergencies, call 9-1-1.

The transition of police dispatching from the Tarleton Control Center to Stephenville Police Department meets new Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) requirements. TCOLE requires police dispatch employees to be certified and licensed telecommunicators.

Tarleton Police Chief Matthew Welch said the switch to the city’s call center also meets TCOLE requirements for privacy when calls are made for police services and emergency situations.

“The information law enforcement officers and telecommunicators hear and see in documentation is closely guarded and protected, and only certain licensed employees who have received proper training and have gone through background police check whom are authorized to answer and dispatch calls on behalf of the Tarleton Police Department,” said Welch.

In addition, a federal Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) requirement, administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), regulates dispatch call centers for law enforcement agencies. Employees on the receiving end of a call at a dispatch center must be licensed and work directly for a recognized law enforcement agency, such as Stephenville Police Department.

Employees at Tarleton’s Control Center who previously fielded such calls are private sector employees and not eligible to become licensed in order to dispatch emergency and other police-related calls.

Persons seeking service calls such as motorist assistance (on-campus jump-starts and vehicle unlocks), safety escorts and parking concerns should continue to call the university’s Control Center at 254-968-9265.

Anyone conducting daily business with the Tarleton Police Department may call 254-968-9002 during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information about the Tarleton Police Department, services offered and resources for the campus community, visitwww.tarleton.edu/police.

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