Police telephone to be answered by CenCom

Change made so callers always reach dispatcher.

— Gentry Police Department’s general office number - 736-8400 - will be answered by Benton County Central Communications, 24 hours per day, beginning on June 22.

“The reason for this change is to ensure there is never a time when a citizen is unableto get through to a dispatcher,” said Police Chief Keith Smith. “The rollover (to Cen-Com) will also benefit the police department in monthly reporting statistics involving calls for service and will ensure that calls are properly logged and recorded. The change will also allow the department to access valuable evidence in criminal cases and have time-stamped recordings of all phone and radio logs,” he said.

Calls for service and for information will be relayed to officers and staff for a timely response.

News, Pages 1 on 06/20/2012