Communications Bureau

The Oro Valley Police Department Communications Bureau is the primary answering point for all 9-1-1 calls in Oro Valley. The bureau operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and handles over 54,000 telephone calls a year, while dispatching police to approximately 19,000 requests for service.

Oro Valley Police Communications is staffed with full time public safety telecommunicators who are trained professionals committed to providing the highest level of service to the community. These dedicated men and women are responsible for answering 9-1-1 emergency and non–emergency telephone calls. When you call for assistance, they will evaluate the information and then dispatch the appropriate public safety personnel to handle the situation. Telecommunicators also manage radio communications for the department and serve as the primary link between the public and police officers in the field.

Do's and Don'ts for 9-1-1 calls:

DO call for true emergencies. If you are unsure if it's an emergency, CALL
DO know the location of the emergency.
DO your best to stay calm and answer all questions.
DO text 911 if you cannot make a voice call.
DO NOT just hang up the phone if you call 911 by accident.
DO NOT prank call 911.
DO NOT let children play with "old" cell phones. They can still call 911.

Text-to-911:

Text-to-911 is the ability to send a text message to 911 emergency call takers from a mobile phone or device. This ability is useful for deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens and anyone who cannot make a voice call in a dangerous situation.

Text-to-911 Info

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community Information

For the deaf and hard-of-hearing community calling 911, you may access traditional TTY relay services by dialing 711 from a telephone or TTY. The 711 dialing feature is available nationwide to access non-Internet-based relay services such as TTY relay services, speech-to-speech (STS) relay services, voice carry-over (VCO) TTY, and hearing carry-over (HCO) TTY relay services. Although many TTY users have migrated to other forms of communication to access 911, using newer technologies and relay services, including Text-to-911 and Internet-based relay services.

Additional Resources:

Information from the National Association of the Deaf