City of Fresno breaks ground on new 911 dispatch facility
Police Chief Mindy Casto said dispatchers received over 1 million calls in 2024, averaging more than 2,000 calls a day.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's not every day you see a city mayor breaking ground -- literally. But that's what happened on Tuesday morning in Downtown Fresno.
Mayor Jerry Dyer, along with city council members and law enforcement, gathered to announce a new facility for 911 dispatchers.
"This new 911 center will replace the current communication center located in the basement," said Mayor Dyer.
He explains that a new facility is long overdue.
"It has no windows, it has antiquated air conditioning, and it has encapsulated asbestos in the roof area. It's been really untenable environment for dispatchers to work out of," said Mayor Dyer.
Dyer, who was previously Fresno's Police Chief for 18 years, has long wanted to get dispatchers a new space.
"We attempted to do this back in the early 2000s. The recession hit in 2009. We actually had architectural plans that were done; we had to shove those. We really didn't have funding opportunities along the way," said Mayor Dyer.
Photos shared with Action News show what the new building will look like once it's complete.
The project will cost roughly $19 million. Mayor Dyer said $2 million was secured through the Office of Emergency Services.
Police Chief Mindy Casto said dispatchers received over 1 million calls in 2024, averaging more than 2,000 calls a day.
"This is actually real today, and it's very exciting," said Chief Casto.
It's a hub and the starting point for emergency help anywhere in the city of Fresno.
"It's a public safety answer point, and the largest one in Central California. That means that we get all 911 calls in the city of Fresno. So, whether you need an ambulance, you need fire or police, the 911 calls come in here into our public safety answer point," said Casto.
Officials hope to hire at least a dozen more people to work in the dispatch center by the time the new building is complete, which is set for the fall of 2026.
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