Visalia Police Department Dispatch Division proudly serves the community with the highest degree of
professionalism.  Dispatch is responsible for the receipt, disposition, and the documentation of
telephonic and radio calls in both routine and emergency matters for both Police and Fire Departments. 
Dispatch is also responsible for handling all “9-1-1” calls generated within the City. 

 The Dispatch Division is currently staffed with eighteen full-time Public Safety Dispatchers and four
hourly Call Takers that answer and process seven emergency (911) lines, fifteen non-emergency
lines and several radio frequencies.

 The Dispatch Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  It is the responsibility of the Public
Safety Dispatcher to accurately, and a quickly as possible, identify the nature of your call and assist
in solving the problem.  The dispatcher is the critical link between the citizen and the police officer,
as they are responsible for screening calls and transferring that information to the police officer
and emergency personnel.

 Because each incoming call is unique and can vary from a request for general information to a report
of a life threatening incident, the dispatcher must ask specific questions to accurately prioritize the call
and assign it to a police officer.  The dispatcher’s most important focus is officer and citizen safety. 
The faster this critical information is obtained determines how quickly an officer is able to respond.

When should I call 9-1-1?

 9-1-1 is for emergencies, potential emergencies, or when an emergency is imminent.

• Ask yourself, "what is the level of urgency?"
• Is there a danger to life or property?
• Is the caller or someone else the victim of a crime?
•  Do you have a police emergency?
• Does the caller or someone else have a medical emergency?
• Does the caller need the fire department?

If the public safety situation seems urgent and has the potential of escalating by not making the
telephone call, call 9-1-1.  The 9-1-1 professional will determine whether the call should be
processed via 9-1-1, or whether the caller should be referred to another number or agency
as appropriate.

If you call 9-1-1 by accident, do not hang up.  Stay on the line and tell the dispatcher that everything is
all right. If you don’t, the dispatcher may think that something is wrong and send a police officer.

What if I need help but it’s not an emergency?

Use these seven digit numbers for Police, Fire, Ambulance and Animal Control services for Visalia.

POLICE/FIRE/MEDICAL:  (559) 734-8116
ANIMAL CONTROL:  (559) 713-4957

When you call the police, we will always ask the following:

• WHERE are you?
• WHAT is going on?
• WHO is involved?
• WHEN did this happen?
• IS ANYONE INJURED, OR DOES ANYONE NEED EMERGENCY MEDICAL ATTENTION

We will then ask for such details as:

• Are there vehicles involved?
• Which direction did the person or vehicle leave?

If there was a vehicle involved, try to describe it to us in a systematic manner.  Getting a vehicle
description as soon as possible allows responding officers to spot the vehicle if it leaves the area. 
The most important part of any vehicle description is the license number.  This provides us with
the last registered owner information, the make and year of the vehicle.  Color is the next most
important piece of information we need, partly because it is NOT part of the registration
information. The following is all the information we need for a vehicle description:

• License
• Color
• Make
• Model
• Body Style
• Distinctive Characteristics, such as decals, body damage, racks, custom paint designs

If you are reporting an individual involved in a disturbance or a crime, look at them in order to gather
information on their physical and clothing description.  Be prepared to give your information in the
following order because this is the order we will ask you:

Sex Race Age Height Weight Hair color Facial hair Eye color Distinctive physical characteristics, acne, scars, braces, accents Baseball caps, knit caps, etc Color top, such as a jacket, shirt, sweatshirt Color pants, skirt Shoes If there are any weapons involved, we ask What king of weapon? Who as them? Where is the weapon on the person's body? If it was a firearm, was it a rifle, shotgun, or handgun?  Was the handgun an automatic or revolver? Was it blue-steel or chrome colored?

REMEMBER, ACT PRUDENTLY AND SAFETLY. You don't help anyone by
putting yourself at risk and becoming another victim.

How to Reach Us:

To Report any Emergency: 9-1-1
For Non-Emergency Calls: (559) 734-8116
For Animal Control Calls: (559) 713-4957
Communications Supervisor, Gloria House: (559) 713-4175