The Communications Unit is under the command of Captain Sherman Robinson and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days weeks.

The staff is currently comprised of 4 shift supervisors and an allotment of 33 Communications Operators.

The personnel assigned to Communications Unit form the primary Communications Center for 911, Law Enforcement, Charlotte Fire/EMS and Palm Island Fire. The Center also receives both emergency and non-emergency cellular calls. During a natural disaster or emergency they serve as the point of contact for various County, State and Federal Agencies.

The professional in-house training program meets APCO Standards in Call Taking, Law Enforcement Dispatch, and Fire/EMS Dispatch. Additionally, all Operators are trained in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD). EMD allows the operators to intervene and assist the callers with predetermined medical instructions. During those critical minutes before a responder arrives on scene, the operators have aided callers in birth, drowning, choking, and cardiac arrests incidents just to name a few.

Training is also provided on TDD to meet the needs of the deaf/hearing impaired citizens. The phone equipment will automatically detect when a call is being placed from a TDD machine. To further meet the needs of a diversified community, the operators also train and utilize a Language Line when speaking with non-English speaking individuals.

Many of the calls require the use of a teletype which provides a direct link to both the Florida and National Crime Information Center. At the request of a Deputy an operator can access/enter various information such as missing/wanted persons, vehicles tags and registration, criminal histories, and guns. The teletype also provides another means of communications with other agencies throughout the country and worldwide.

Radios are the primary source of communications when dispatching calls, relaying updates and receiving/responding to requests generated by both Law Enforcement and Fire/EMS. The radios are able to communicate with outside agencies when joint operations are undertaken. The Sheriff's Office also uses laptop computers in the vehicles to aid in Communications. Calls for service can be reviewed by the road units and information can be exchanged without voice communications.