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Cherokee County Public Services Agency details probation, 911, EMA and shelter operations in annual report
Summary
Public Services Agency Director Dana Martin presented an annual overview covering probation services, radio/next-gen 911 upgrades, emergency management response, E-911 call volume, marshal’s office activity, and animal shelter programs and outcomes for 2024–2025.
Dana Martin, director of Cherokee County’s Public Services Agency, presented an annual report Tuesday that summarized work across six county departments including Probation Services, Radio Technology, Emergency Management Agency (EMA), E-911, the Marshal’s Office, and the animal shelter.
Probation Services grew from eight staff at its 2019 opening to 20 as of Jan. 25, 2025, and supervises misdemeanor probation and pretrial diversion cases for multiple courts. Martin said 11 probation officers monitor more than 2,000 people under supervision and administer an average of about 6,195 community-service hours per month; probation staff perform roughly 1,000 hours of training annually and administer more than 1,000 observed drug and alcohol screens per month.
Radio Technology and E-911 upgrades: Martin reported the county is live on an ESInet network and plans to activate next-generation 911 features this month, including RapidSOS caller data, text and media delivery. Radio Technology expanded a 9-1-1 backup center to nine console positions, improved phone-call redundancy between main and backup centers, completed station alerting upgrades, and built a mobile interoperability case for multi-jurisdictional events.
EMA and disaster response: EMA reported 25 activation-support missions in 2024 covering winter weather, floods, severe and tropical weather, missing-person incidents and two hazmat responses, and estimated about $630,000 in weather-related personal-property damage countywide. EMA received $55,000 in EMPG grant funds in 2024 for equipment purchases and supported school emergency planning and a CERT program.
E-911 operational metrics: Martin said Cherokee E-911 handled 423,720 total calls in 2024—about 1,160 calls per day—with more than 98,000 emergency calls. The operation reported answering calls in under 10 seconds on average, over 1,000 quality-assurance reviews, more than 16,000 agency training hours, and processing about 3,000 public-records requests.
Marshal’s Office, animal shelter and shelter programs: The Marshal’s Office reported 10,078 calls for service in 2024; code enforcement handled 4,577 calls. Animal Services reported 1,556 adoptions and 822 owner surrenders in 2024, completed 1,230 spay/neuter surgeries and 35 major lifesaving surgeries, microchipped more than 1,722 pets through a free program, and distributed more than 22,000 pounds of pet food via a pet food pantry program.
Martin closed the presentation with a video showing cross-departmental collaboration and highlighted internship and volunteer programs that support shelter and public-safety operations. Commissioners thanked staff and underscored the report’s operational highlights; no formal decisions were taken during the presentation.
