Behind the Call
Public Safety Communications 9-1-1: September 2025
Hello, PSC-
I want to take a moment to personally thank each of you for the long hours, the missed breaks, the late nights, and the emotional weight you carry every single shift. The work you do is not easy. It requires strength, focus, compassion, and resilience, often all at once.
You are the lifeline that connects fear to help, uncertainty to action, and crisis to response. While the public may never see your faces, they feel your impact every single day.
As we recognize the 58th birthday of 911 emergency service, we are reminded that this system works because of people like you. Technology matters. Equipment matters. Protocol matters. It’s your professionalism, your quick thinking, and your heart that truly make the difference.
Long shifts can be exhausting, the emotional toll can be heavy, but never forget, what you do matters. The lives saved, the tragedies prevented, the reassurance you provide, it all matters more than you may ever fully realize.
Thank you for your dedication, sacrifice, and for standing ready when others need help the most.
We are proud of you. We appreciate you. We are grateful beyond words for the work you do every single day.
-Mike
911 Education Outreach: Making a Difference in Our Community
A Year of Remarkable Growth and Impact
The Public Safety Communications 911 Education program achieved unprecedented success in 2025, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to community safety and emergency preparedness. Through strategic outreach initiatives and innovative educational approaches, we significantly expanded our reach and impact across York County.
Key Achievements by the Numbers
Public Events: Connecting Face-to-Face
Our community engagement through public events reached 7,009 community members in 2025, representing a meaningful increase of 124 participants from the previous year. These in-person interactions provided invaluable opportunities to:
Demonstrate proper 911 usage techniques
Address common misconceptions about emergency services
Build trust between the community and first responders
Provide hands-on learning experiences for all ages
Digital Outreach: Expanding Our Reach
Our communications, social media, and educational video initiatives achieved remarkable success, reaching 116,427 community members, an impressive increase of 80,755 from 2024. This substantial growth reflects our enhanced digital strategy, which included:
Educational video content covering emergency scenarios and proper 911 protocols
Social media campaigns designed to share critical safety information
Community communications that kept residents informed about emergency preparedness
Total Community Impact
Combined, our comprehensive education efforts reached 123,436 community members in 2025, representing an outstanding increase of 80,859 individuals compared to the previous year. This growth demonstrates the effectiveness of our multi-channel approach to public safety education.
Looking Forward
The success of our 911 education outreach program reflects the dedication of our team and the engagement of our community members. These numbers represent more than statistics—they represent lives potentially saved, emergencies handled more effectively, and a community better prepared for unexpected situations.
Our continued growth in both traditional and digital outreach channels positions us well to serve an even broader audience in the current year, ensuring that every York County resident has access to vital emergency preparedness education.
For more information about booking a visit for your group, contact our Information and Public Safety Education Coordinator at 803-817-6312.
Greetings PSC Family,
As of July 21, 2025, we began a new journey with the hiring of seven new telecommunicators. These individuals came from various career paths, unaware of the extensive training process here at Public Safety Communications. Each of them has continued to work diligently and tirelessly to become knowledgeable of the policies and procedures needed to be an effective telecommunicator. As of today, four of the new trainees have completed both classroom and on the floor training and have been released as call-takers. Congratulations to Victoria M., Emily H., Lillie S., and Heather D. for all of your hard work and dedication and welcome to the team!
Two of the newest trainees were recently asked, “What is something that you have learned since beginning your new career as a 911 telecommunicator?”
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned here that I didn’t know before starting my career here is that we are the center point for 911 calls. We listen to the callers, and we help them get to the right people that can assist them. I think that is pretty cool. It makes what we do even more important. We work together with different police departments, EMS, and Fire departments to assist callers with their emergencies and non-emergencies. We all work together to help the public.” –Jennifer McKenzie
“I never knew the extensive training that call-takers and dispatchers had to go through in order to help people. From memorizing call types, studying guide cards, and never-ending training, it's an education that dwarfs any university. I also had no idea that I would love it so much. There is always something new to learn!” – Spencer Langston
CALEA
York County Public Safety Communications is currently in the process of completing the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Year 2 evaluation. The Web-based assessment will take place March 20-28th. Over the last year, the Professional Standards team has collected the proofs needed to complete the assessment and are currently uploading them to the PowerDMS website. It is estimated that 94% of this process is completed.
FOIA
Freedom of Information Act is available to all responders and the general public.
Responders should email PSC@yorkcountysc.gov and include the Call for Service or Report number as well as the date, time and exact information needed (such as radio traffic, phone calls).
So far in 2026, 66 FOIA requests were processed by the Professional Standards Division.
Any FOIA request from the public including Lawyer’s offices will need to be utilized using the button below.
FEBRUARY 2026 TECHNICAL SERVICES
CURRENT PROJECTS:
- Tech Services working with Public Education Department to create a 911 Simulation Trailer to educate the public
- Vesta 911 phone system upgrade
- Marvlis System Upgrade
- Cache equipment loaned: Starlink to the Sheriff’s Office.
- Last week, Technical Services held a Radio System User Group Meeting with Mission Critical Partners. They have been selected as York County’s Radio System Consultants and will be working with us for the next few months on how to improve overall communications coverage.
