Central Communications (Dispatch)


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Police, Fire/EMS, and 9-1-1 dispatch services for Willoughby Hills are provided by Central Communications, a division of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Located right next door in Kirtland and sharing a facility with the Lake County EMA & EOC, "Central" has been providing regional dispatching services since 1986 and currently dispatches for 20 different police & fire agencies throughout Lake County including WHFD, WHPD, and Waite Hill PD who all came on board with Central in 2018.

Dispatchers are the critical first link in public safety and provide a crucial aspect of our response both ensuring that we arrive to you in a timely manner and that our responders are kept safe and get the resources they need to mitigate emergencies.  Central employs a staff of approximately 35 dispatchers who all complete rigorous training in order to be cross-trained in police, fire, and EMS communications.  Staff certifications include Public Safety Telecommunicator I, LEADS (Ohio law enforcement computerized database), NIMS Incident Command training, CPR+AED, and EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch), which authorizes dispatchers to provide life-saving medical instructions to callers prior to EMS arrival.  Communications supervisors who oversee day to day operations and provide oversight during major emergencies hold rank within the Sheriff's Office and complete additional command and leadership training through NIMS as well as the Police Executive Leadership College (PELC).

Central is the primary Wireless 9-1-1 PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) for Lake County meaning that all 9-1-1 calls made on a cell phone in Lake County are routed to Central to either be dispatched or transferred to the appropriate dispatch center depending on the location of the emergency.  For our community, this means that whether you call 9-1-1 from your home landline or your cell phone, your call for help is being answered by our dispatchers who can send help immediately which is significant when seconds can literally make the difference in a life and death situation.

Other services/responsibilities include county tornado and PNPP siren activation (with EMA), Emergency Alert System (EAS) activation (with EMA), Vesta outbound notification system (Reverse911) activation (with EMA), Amber Alert coordination, access to county dog tag files, Language Line translation services, TTY services for the hearing impaired, active shooter alerts, county radio system administration, and on-site & on-call I.T. and telecommunication support personnel.

Central dispatches over 157,000 police & fire/EMS calls for service annually (400+ per day) and fields approximately 463,000 9-1-1 calls a year (94% cellular).  Their website can be viewed HERE.


Emergency:  9-1-1

7-Digit: 440-942-1111 -or- 440-942-9111


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