Douglas County E-911 Director Greg Whitaker was re-elected President of the Georgia 9-1-1 Directors Association at the annual meeting of the organization. He was first elected for the 2009-10 term, and now has been re-elected for the 2011-12 term.
The Georgia 9-1-1 Directors Association is an organization whose purpose is to aid and assist in the collection, dissemination, development and management of information relating to public safety communication. Its membership is comprised of directors, assistant directors, and other managerial level staff of public safety communications, including 911 centers, and Sheriff and Fire Department dispatch offices.
One of its major focuses is working with members of the Georgia General Assembly to implement laws, rules and regulations related to 911 and other Public Safety operations. The Georgia 9-1-1 Directors Association serves as the “one voice” for 911 systems Statewide.
Greg Whitaker became the Director of the Douglas County 911 System in 1993 after working with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department in various positions for ten years, including jailer, book-in officer, control officer, relief radio operator, deputy, patrol deputy, and corporal and sergeant in the communications division. Greg continues his certification as a Deputy Sheriff, and is a member of National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO).
Greg is a graduate of North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy and has completed over 1200 hours of training through the Georgia Peace Officer Standards Training Council. He has also instructed classes at Fulton County Public Safety Training Center, Clayton Regional Law Enforcement Academy, and North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy. He and his wife, Vicki, have been married for 23 years, and are the proud parents of Megan, 15, and Hannah, 11. 2011 marks Greg’s 27th year of service with Douglas County.
Under Greg’s direction, the Douglas County 911 system has evolved from simple telephones to a highly sophisticated computerized system that includes mapping, GIS, cell phone triangulation, and many state-of-the-art features.
911 and E-911 are essential to the mission of public safety, and its operators are highly trained staff who must calmly and clearly collect information from callers, quickly decide the correct persons and agencies to which to send the information, dispatch the appropriate response, and then continue to assist both the caller and the responder.
The Douglas County 911 System is an "enhanced" system; therefore, the "E" in front of the 911. "Enhanced" means that additional equipment has been installed that displays the caller's name, address, and telephone number, an extremely important tool for the E-911 operator if the caller is unable to speak for whatever reason, including trauma or illness. The E-911 Communications Center has multiple consoles:
- Call Taker;
- Supervisor;
- Fire Dispatch; and
- Police Dispatch.
There are also back-up consoles when call volume is extremely high, or if a console is malfunctioning. GCIC (Georgia Crime Information Center) and NCIC (National Crime Information Center) data can be accessed from the Supervisor and Police consoles, which is important in advising law enforcement officers who may be in pursuit of, or in contact with, criminals with a violent history. The Center also includes a satellite-linked computer that provides up-to-date weather conditions for storm weather alerts and other information.
The new 911/Emergency Operations Center for Douglas County is currently under construction and will become operational in April 2011.
