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Dispatch Non-Emergency 325.657.4315

Dispatchers, First Responders Successfully Weather Friday's Storm

At approximately 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 23, 2017, San Angelo was impacted by a severe storm that taxed first responders and dispatchers.  

San Angelo’s resources performed beyond expectation in emergency operations and many off-duty SAPD Officers and Dispatchers reported to work without being asked. 

During Friday’s storm, San Angelo Public Safety Communications recorded seven hundred sixty-two (762) calls from 8:00 p.m. through midnight.  This included all incoming non-emergency, 911, abandoned, and outgoing calls.  To put this volume into perspective, during that four hour time period, dispatchers averaged 190.5 calls per hour.  In comparison, dispatchers averaged 115 total calls during the same four hour period the previous Friday for an average of 28.75 calls per hour. 

Throughout the duration of the storm, our Officers responded to numerous incidents in concert with partner agencies , assisting with life-threatening tree and electrical hazards, traffic issues caused by downed signals, signs, utility lines, and debris in roadways, alarm calls, grass and structure fires, traffic crashes, as well as other non-storm related calls for service.  

One noteworthy issue attributed to the large call volume was by citizens who called Police and Fire Dispatch to report power outages or to inquire about estimated repair times.  San Angelo Police and Fire Dispatch lines ( 911 and non-emergency 325-657-4315) should never be used to report power outages or to inquire about estimated repair times.  These reports should go directly to AEP by calling 1-866-223-8508 or online at  https://www.aeptexas.com/outages/report.   Department officials are asking citizens to save this important contact information for future reference and to help us keep emergency lines open for true emergencies. 

As we move forward into Texas’s severe weather season, we ask citizens to be prepared. Visit www.ready.gov/severe-weather to develop a plan, monitor local National Weather Service updates at http://www.weather.gov/sjt/ or by smart phone weather application, and to subscribe to local public safety alerts at https://local.nixle.com/san-angelo-police-department/

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