UNL Police receives upgrades to emergency call center

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The University of Nebraska-Lincoln police received upgrades to its emergency dispatch center that focus on accessibility and efficiency.

UNL’s Dispatch Center Director Sara Haake said the upgrades also allow the department to take in more calls.

“In public safety, we spend a lot of time on our consoles and computers to make sure we have the best information available for public safety officers,” she said.

The dispatch center now houses several screens, lower seating for wheelchair accessibility and refurbished workstations.

“We knew that we needed to maximize what we had access to,” Haake said. “So we’ve been able to expand our dispatching stations by one station, which is helpful for special events.”

Haake says getting the new equipment had its challenges, but the university prioritized the call center’s needs and made the process efficient.

“There’s always hiccups, we were originally supposed to have all of this done and installed over this summer when campuses look a little different,” she said. “Supply chain issues did impact us.”

Haake said that some of the upgrades were “creature comforts” but will ultimately help the campus.

“If we can take care of our people and the people that are handling the work and they’re that calm voice on the phone, they’re on the radio with the officers it really is just such a domino effect and it really transpires across the entire team,” she said.