08/03/2026
A highly-visible and convenient building at the corner of South Main and Dixie Streets is slated to become the new home of the London-Laurel County 911 Center.
The Laurel County Fiscal Court approved the purchase of the building at its regular meeting on Thursday. The 911 Center currently is housed in a city-owned building on Main Street that it shares with the London Police Department.
“We moved 911 into that building in 1994, almost 32 years ago,” Judge-Executive David Westerfield said. “Our city and county has outgrown the building and we felt like it was time to make a move.”
The county purchased the building for $340,000, although it appraised for over $400,000. The building housed medical offices until it was damaged by fire several years ago.
Inspections of the building found it to be structurally sound. Most of the fire damage was limited to a couple of trusses and the roof, Westerfield said.
“We got a quote to build a building of that size and it was $1.2 million,” he said. “When we get moved in to the new building, I think our cost will be around $600,000 for the purchase and renovation. So that’s half price. I think that’s what we leaders of the county have always tried to do—offer essential services to our residents as cost effective as we can.”
According to 911 Chairman David Williams, the dispatch center’s call volume and responsibilities have increased substantially in the last five years, necessitating the need for more space and updated equipment.
“It’s just a really outdated space for the volume we’re handling,” he said. “There’s no room to grow and most of the equipment in the 911 Center is at its life’s end. We’ve been waiting to upgrade some of the equipment because we knew we needed to find another location. Most of that equipment has a 10-year lifespan, and it’s going on 12 years.”
In 2025, the 911 Center handled approximately 109,000 phone calls, with roughly 40% being 911 calls, 63,000+ CAD (computer aided dispatch) incidents, and more than a million radio transmissions.
That equals an average of approximately 114 radio transmissions per hour, every hour of the year. The Center dispatches for 19 agencies, monitors 2 law enforcement channels, 4 fire channels, an EMS channel, Rescue Squad Channel, and Emergency Management channel, and uses a combined call-taking and dispatching model. Dispatchers also handle NCIC and EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) duties.
Besides the updated space and equipment for dispatch, Judge Westerfield said the new building, with its convenient location and ample parking, will benefit the public in other ways.
“The visibility of this new 911 Center will be tremendous,” he said. “It will be easy to find and access. I know that people use dispatch to drop their kids off when they have shared custody. They will feel safe there.”
