PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- The Pierre City Commission has approved a renewal of the joint agreement with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety covering the work done through the town’s 911 emergency dispatch center.

Police Chief Jason Jones says the Central South Dakota Communications Center agreement was first created in 2014 and was renewed in 2018.

Jones says along with handling 911 calls from Stanley, Sully, Hyde, Hughes and Jones counties, the telecommunicators (more commonly known as dispatchers) also handle calls for state and federal agencies such as the Highway Patrol, the Division of Criminal Investigation, Game Fish and Parks, the Department of Transportation, the FBI and the US Marshal Service.

City Commissioner Jamie Huizenga says putting the initial agreement together took a lot of time and cooperation.

The Central South Dakota Communications Center currently averages just over 61,000 calls per year.