The Emergency Communications Center, also known as the 911 center, answers 911 and non-emergency calls for Cary around-the-clock. Emergency communications personnel dispatch police, fire, emergency medical services, and animal control calls for both communities.

When a telephone call is received by the Center either via 911 or on a non-emergency line, the emergency communications officer enters the information into the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system. The information is then prioritized for dispatch.

Enhanced 911

Enhanced 911 (E-911) provides Communications Center personnel with immediate address information on a 911 caller. This information is critical in providing immediate emergency services to citizens in need.

The system allows the emergency communications officer to record that information immediately in case the caller hangs up before the necessary information has been gathered. If that happens, the emergency communications officer can call the person back. If there is no answer, a police officer is sent to the address to investigate. If you call 911 in error, please do not hang up. Stay on the line and explain your situation.

It is important that citizens use 911 for immediate public safety assistance. Non-emergency requests are handled by calling 469-4012.

The Town of Cary's wireless 911 project involves installing equipment and working with cell phone companies to pinpoint a caller's location with much greater specificity. The purpose is to get help to the right place even more quickly in an emergency.

Computer Aided Dispatch

A program called Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) assists with the efficient handling of requests for emergency services. The system makes a recommendation of service units to dispatch taking into account the geographic location of the request and the availability of work units. The system recognizes different call types that require the dispatch of special equipment, provides information on hazards that may be present, and provides for special medical information and call history. Numerous statistical reports are provided to assist management in the proper allocation and scheduling of public safety personnel.

Emergency Medical Dispatch

The Cary 911 Center was the first in Wake County to participate in the Emergency Medical Dispatch program, which trains emergency communications officers how to provide callers with life saving instructions on various types of medical emergencies, such as how to control bleeding from a laceration, how to free an object from someone's throat, and even how to administer CPR.

This program was developed in order to meet the needs of citizens who require special medical care or who have disabilities. The Computer Aided Dispatch system provides for the entry of special medical information by address to advise responding public safety units. Citizens may call 469-4012 to obtain more information.

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)

This device, accessed through 911, allows callers with hearing disabilities to seek emergency assistance without delay. Callers can access the Center by typing a request which emergency communications officers receive and respond to by typing replies.

When should you call 911?

Calls to 911 should be reserved for emergencies such as:

A serious medical emergency (chest pains, seizures, bleeding, etc.)
Any type of fire (structure, vehicle, brush, etc.)
Any crime in-progress (robbery, burglary, prowler, fights, etc.)
Any other life threatening situations (traffic accident with injuries, etc.).

What happens when you call 911?

In order to correctly assess the situation for a prioritized response, you will be asked certain questions which are vital to the safety of the caller and the responding Officer(s).

The Location

When you call 911, the emergency communications officer is automatically provided with the phone number and the location that you are calling from. You will be asked to verify this information since quite often individuals call 911 from locations other than where the incident is occurring. If you call 911 from a cell phone, this vital information is not provided. It is very important that you provide the phone number and location to the emergency communications officers when using a cell phone.

The Problem

The emergency communications officer will ask if your emergency is related to Police, Fire or Rescue. At this point you should give a quick description of what occurred. Then you will be asked a series of questions which are extremely important to the proper handling of the call. These may include:

Is anyone injured?
How long ago did the incident occur?
Were there weapons involved and if so, what type?
Did the suspect flee, and if so, which direction?
What was the mode of transportation, a car, bike or on foot?
If a vehicle was involved, what was the description and what was the direction of travel?
What was the physical description of the suspect?
What was the clothing description?

Although these may seem like an unreasonable number of questions during an emergency, they are very important to emergency personnel. For example, if a burglary has just occurred and the suspect flees, the officers have a much better chance of apprehending the suspect if they have a good description of the suspect and the direction that was taken. More important, if the incident in question involved a weapon, the life of the Officer may depend on the information given.

One common misconception of Public Safety Communications is that emergency communications officers wait until finishing the call before sending help. During a true emergency, the emergency communications officers work as a team. One remains on the line with the caller and passes on information to another emergency communications officer, who dispatches Police Officers, Firefighters or other emergency personnel.

It is very important that you stay on the line during a call to 911. The emergency communications officer will continue to ask you questions while the police are en route.

What should I do if I call 911 by mistake?

If you call 911 by mistake, DO NOT HANG UP. Stay on the line and explain that you do not actually have an emergency. If a caller to 911 hangs up without stating the problem, the caller must be contacted in order to ensure that no actual emergency exists. This may involve the dispatching of an officer to your home or place of business in order to ensure that a problem does not exist.

If I need the police, but it's not an emergency, what number do I call?

If you need the police, but it is not of an emergency nature, please call our non emergency line at (919) 469-4012. Examples of calls which should be placed to the non emergency line are:

Traffic accidents which do not involve injuries.
Loud music or barking dogs.
Late reported incidents such as a theft with no suspect information.
Requests for information.
To report the malfunctioning of traffic signals.

Communication Supervisors

John Quesnel
Lynett Seagroves
Donna Jo Strickland
Rick Thomas

Administrative Line: (919) 469-4012
Emergency Number: 911

Back to top
Back to Cary Police

Town Homepage