Pierce County will take over control of the E-911 center.
Commissioners voted 3-1 to create a new 911 department during a called meeting Thursday morning. The item was added to the agenda, but has been under discussion since April. Commission Chairman Neal Bennett voted against the motion. First district commissioner Harold Rozier was not present.
Chairman Bennett did not return a phone call seeking comment on his vote.
The county’s newly formed E-911 Advisory Committee had recommended at its first-ever meeting in April that the E-911 Center be a stand-alone department in county government. The new department will have its own director who will report directly to the commission.
The recommendation was discussed at the commission’s May 2 meeting, but was tabled so commissioners could gather more information on the change.
Commissioners voted to hire Debra Williamson as the interim director of 911 following a closed session later in the meeting. (See related story.)
The E-911 center was an independent department in county government until 2019 when it was placed under the supervision of Sheriff Ramsey Bennett.
Blackshear Police Chief Chris Wright has previously said there have been some issues with dispatching.
In December of last year, the city learned Sheriff Bennett, in his role as director of the E-911 center, had directed dispatchers to dispatch certain calls to sheriff’s deputies instead of Blackshear Police, despite those calls being within the jurisdiction of the City of Blackshear.
Bennett has not responded to Wright’s claims.
