The Will County Sheriff's Office communication center provides continuous 24 hour police services for the people of unincorporated Will County. These services include answering 911 emergency and non-emergency telephone calls, dispatching Sheriff's police personnel to render services, and provide information to and monitor the safety of police personnel. The Sheriff's office also provides police communication, 911 and non-emergency telephone services for municipalities, which do not have dispatch centers. These presently include the villages of Rockdale, Manhattan, and Elwood. The communication center also provides police radio services for the Will County Forest Preserve Police Department.

The Sheriff's communication center currently utilizes a 800 megahertz trunked Ericsson radio system. This system allows greater flexibility in the use of six (6) radio frequencies, which were assigned to Will County. The Ericsson system uses a computer to generate talk groups, which permit different county agencies to communicate with each other without interfering with other county or local agencies. The talk groups function like a radio channel does on a conventional radio system. The difference is that a conventional radio system requires a frequency to be assigned to a specific channel. A trunked system allows the talk group to use any of the available frequencies for communication purposes. This flexibility allows Will County to have in excess of forty (40) different talk groups in the radio system while only having six (6) radio frequencies assigned to the radio system. An additional benefit of the system is the ability of different county agencies to communicate between themselves and/or if necessary to directly contact the Sheriff's communication center to request police assistance. Each radio in the system has a unique identity, which allows the communication center to identify the user of the radio even if the user does not talk or otherwise identify him/herself.

The communications section has seven (7) radio consoles, which are capable of transmitting or receiving any of over forty (40) various talk groups that comprise the 800 megahertz trunked Ericsson radio system. Each console has the capability to monitor the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN) for broadcast of criminal activity. Consoles also may monitor the Will County Weather Warning System (WillWarn) for broadcasts from the Will County Emergency Management Agency regarding severe weather situations. All consoles are equipped with LEADS/NCIC computers to permit checks for wanted or missing persons, stolen property, and the ability to communicate with other police agencies throughout the country.

The communications center monitors a satellite linked weather computer provided by Data Transmission Network Corporation. This computer is updated every twenty (20) minutes so that the communications center can monitor weather events, which may impact the safety of the residents of Will County.

All seven consoles are equipped with a computer aided dispatch system (CAD) provided by Printrak. The CAD allows more effective determination of the proper jurisdiction for the location of a call for service. The CAD also assists the telecommunicators in monitoring the current status of officers in the field. The CAD system also provides more accurate record system for monitoring the activity of Sheriff's deputies as well as more accurate times for the receipt, dispatch, arrival, and the clearing of call for service.

The communications center also serves as a backup facility for all other communications centers in Will County. In the event another communication center must be evacuated, those personnel may relocate to the Sheriff's facility and use the radio consoles, which will be linked via a repeater with that agency's mobile units. This will give the affected agency the means to communicate with their mobile police and/or fire units.

The Will County Sheriff's communication center also serves as an enhanced 911 public service answering point for the Will County Emergency 911 Services. This allows the Sheriff's Office the capability of receiving 911 emergency calls from the public for police, fire, and/or ambulance services. The enhanced 911 system provides visual information on the name, address, and telephone number via a computer monitor for most 911 calls received by the Sheriff's Office. This visual display will occur even if the caller hangs up the phone immediately after dialing 911. This gives the Sheriff's Office the ability to contact the caller to check the caller's welfare or if necessary dispatch police units to the location to determine if assistance is required. The Sheriff's Office will also respond with necessary police services and/or provide for the rapid transfer of 911 calls for fire or ambulance services to the appropriate dispatch center for a request for assistance.

The communications center is also responsible for answering the Nuclear Accident Reporting System telephone. This system provides for accurate and up to date information on any unusual incident that occurs at the Commonwealth Edison nuclear power stations at Braidwood or Dresden. The communications center has the responsibility of making necessary notifications to public officials in the event of an emergency at one of the power stations. The communications center would also be involved in the coordination of Sheriff's Office personnel in dealing with such an incident.

The Sheriff's communication center has the primary responsibility of entering Orders of Protection issued by the Will County Circuit Court into the Law Enforcement Agency Data Systems (LEADS) computer. This allows any police officer in the state to check if a person has a valid order of protection against him/her. The Sheriff's communication center is also responsible for entering missing persons and stolen property reported to the Will County Sheriff's Office, and the Rockdale, Manhattan, and Elwood police departments.

As of January 1, 2000, the Sheriff's Office consists of eighteen (18) full time telecommunicators, which are dispersed evenly between three shifts. A police sergeant is also assigned to supervise the communications center on each shift.