E911

Public Safety Communications Accreditation Lexington enhanced 911 answers emergency and non-emergency calls for service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and dispatches the appropriate help. The staff is dedicated to providing quality service to both citizens and first responders.

The center provides dispatching and centralized communications for the Lexington Police Department and Lexington Fire and Emergency Services.

You can submit an open records request online. Requests are accepted via mail or through in person delivery.

E911 accreditation

Lexington Enhanced 911 is accredited by the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Learn more about the accreditation.

When should I call 911?

  • To report a crime in progress
  • To report a fire
  • To save a life
  • Anytime an emergency response is required from fire, law enforcement or emergency personnel.

You should call 911 anytime you believe there is an actual emergency. If you are unsure, call 911 and the dispatcher will determine if an emergency has occurred.

Situations that are not 911 emergencies:

  • Do not call 9-1-1 to report to traffic congestion;
  • To inquire about government services;
  • To report electricity or other utility disruptions; or
  • To find an address or other general information.

Smart 911

Registering for Smart 911 gives first responders important information that will help them address your emergency. You can sign up for Smart 911 or make changes to your profile.

Smart 911

Tips for calling 911

Tips for calling from any ­­phone: 

  • Never hang up a 911 call, even if you didn’t intend to call. You won’t get in trouble, so stay on the line to let the operator know you accidentally called.
  • Calls are answered in the order that they are received. Hanging up and calling back puts you in the back of  the line.
  • Emergencies in public places often result in multiple people dialing 911. Your call could be the first person or 10th person to report a collision. Please stay on the line until the 911 Operator answers. If the report is in the system, the call will be brief.
  • In Lexington, call taking and dispatching are separate functions. Meaning an operator can send a call for dispatch while continuing to gather information from you. 


Tips for calling from a cell phone:

  • Know the numerical address for your location. Sometimes call data doesn’t include an accurate location. 
  • Cell phone calls may take a few seconds longer to reach 911. 
  • Cell signal can be hard to get during a major traffic incident or disaster. People stuck in traffic tend to use their cell phone, which causes spotty connections. People who live near a major roadway may have difficulty getting a call to go through when large traffic back up occurs.
  • Pocket dialing happens when a person doesn’t lock their phone and then places it in a pocket, purse or backpack.  This may result in the phone calling 911 without the owner knowing it. 
  • You can text 911 if you don't have the ability to make a voice call.  


Tips for calling from a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone:

  • VoIP phones usually don’t work during a power outage, internet outage or computer failure. 
  • Don’t rely entirely on a VoIP phone for emergency calls.
  • Depending on your VoIP service provider, your call may not provide an accurate location to the 911 operator.


Tips for calling from a business phone:

  • If your business has switched to VoIP, please read the tips for calling 911 from a VoIP phone.
  • Business phones may present the 911 operator with an inaccurate address. For instance, some companies may have large centralized phone systems that may reflect the address and phone number for the business’ headquarters or regional office, so the address E911 receives with the call may be in another business location locally or out-of-state. 
  • If you hang-up a 911 call before the operator answers, the 911 operator will try to call you back. If your phone is part of a large corporate telephone network, the 911 operator may receive the business’ operator or a calling tree message; neither of which will provide the 911 operator the exact location of the emergency.
  • Many business lines require the caller to dial “9” to get an outside line and dial “1” to begin a long distance call. This combination often results in unintended calls to 911. Don’t worry, you won’t get in trouble, but please stay on the line to let the 911 operator know you accidentally dialed 911.

Text to 911

Call if you can, text if you must. Lexington E-911 now has the ability to receive and send text messages.  

The public should only text 911 if it is the only option and making a voice call to 911 isn’t possible. This service will be very useful to those who are non-verbal, hard of hearing, deaf and speech impaired. 

More tips and information on texting 911

Enhanced 911 statistics

Year

Call

Answer

Complaints

2023     Report 
2022     Report
2021     Report
2020 Volume Time Report
2019 Volume Time Report

Compliment or complaint

If you have a compliment for how your call to 911 was handled or a complaint about your interaction with 911, please send us a message and provide details that include the date and time of your call. Enhanced 911 shares complements we receive with our employees. Complaints are investigated promptly and we will contact you to acknowledge receipt of your concern and inform you of our findings at the conclusion of our investigation.

Schools safety tipline

School safety tipline graphic.

News

Public Safety Job Fair

Public Safety will host a Job Fair on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. – noon at the Fire Station 2, 1276 Eastland Dr.