Salinas advisory committee hears county 9-1-1 dispatch briefing; chief previews AB 481 report

At its January meeting, the Salinas Community Advisory Committee heard a detailed briefing from Monterey County emergency communications staff on how 9-1-1 calls are handled and how dispatch priorities are set.

Lehi Reganti, emergency communications manager, said calls are first answered by trained call-takers who complete a four-week classroom academy followed by about 16 weeks of on-the-job training with a training officer. "The first thing is that the call is going to be answered by a trained call taker," Reganti said. Call-takers collect the callers location and phone number, determine the nature of the emergency and enter incident details into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, which dispatchers then use to assign units and monitor officer safety.

Reganti and assistant director Olivia Madrigal outlined how calls are…