Boulder County Sheriff's Office manages it's own Communications Center staffed by a Division Chief, a Commander,
four shift supervisors, three technicians, twenty-four dispatchers and support personnel. This Public Service
Answering Point (PSAP) is one of four in Boulder County. We provide Law, Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
9-1-1 emergency telephone call answering and dispatching services for Boulder County, Boulder City Fire Department,
Lafayette, Louisville, Superior, Erie, Lyons, Nederland and Ward.
Boulder County spans 752 square miles and had a population in 2005 of 294,045. Boulder County is large and
diverse, featuring everything from the spectacular scenery of Rocky Mountain National Park (a national treasure) to
lush farmland, and one of the nations largest concentrations of research laboratories and high-tech industry.
Situated in the north-central part of Colorado, northwest of Denver, the western border of the county is the
Continental Divide featuring magnificent peaks towering 14,000 feet into the clear, blue sky, and the eastern border
has rolling plains and fields. The University of Colorado, two school districts, open space and recreational
facilities are among the attributes of the county.
In 2006, the BCSO Communications Center handled nearly 150,000 incoming phone calls for an average of
410 phone
calls per day, resulting in 123,488 Law Enforcement related CAD call entries and 25,631 Fire related CAD call
entries. Cell phone use continues to keep our call load heavy, often resulting in multiple phone calls on a single
event such as accidents or fires. New technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are becoming more
available and present new challenges for the communications center.
Boulder County Sheriff's Office dispatch personnel presently work twelve-hour shifts with one eight-hour shift
every other week. These shifts provide for the maximum coverage during peak periods and allow for adequate staffing
during slower periods. The schedule is flexible enough that should a staffing shortage occur due to absence or
illness, shift hours can be adjusted to compensate. Boulder County Sheriff’s Office accepts applications for
dispatch positions at all times, including when there are no current openings. Applications are available on
line and at the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
The BCSO Communications Center is co-located with the Boulder Police Department's Communications Center at the
City of Boulder’s Public Safety Building at 1805 33rd Street. Plans are currently being made to build and occupy a
new BCSO Communications Center to be located at 3200 Airport Road in Boulder. Building completion is estimated for
late 2007.
