Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 (also known as NetCom) was created in 1996 as a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to provide public safety and 9-1-1 dispatch services for Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Cruz Police and Fire Departments, Watsonville Police and Fire Departments, and Capitola Police Department. Along with these “owners” of the JPA, we also provide services to all the Fire Districts in Santa Cruz County and American Medical Response (the local paramedic and ambulance transport provider).
In 2011, NetCom started providing this same dispatching service to San Benito County, to include Hollister Police, San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, Hollister Fire, and American Medical Response.
Our Mission:
"Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 is dedicated to serving as the vital link between the public and public safety organizations through responsiveness and technical excellence while in partnership with its Users and employees."
Always looking to see if we can utilize modern technology to better serve our community, we were one of the first PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) in California to enable text to 9-1-1, ensuring that our hearing and speech-impaired community could reach us without delay. In 2019, we deployed a software solution to help us more accurately pinpoint the location of a 9-1-1 wireless caller based on their actual location. Wireless 9-1-1 calls make up 80% of all calls received; it is crucial that we are able to locate the caller quickly and accurately.
We are the primary PSAP for Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. As a primary PSAP, we are the initial voice you will talk to when you call 9-1-1 or one of the 10-digit non-emergency phone numbers for our User agencies.
We are the piece of the puzzle that connects over 330,000 residents and numerous visitors to much needed resources by processing an average of over 500,000 Telephone calls per year.
| Total Phone Calls Handled and Processed | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Call | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Wired 9-1-1 | 10,373 | 9,505 | 8,301 |
| Wireless 9-1-1 | 112,964 | 103,890 | 102,932 |
| Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) 9-1-1 | 11,731 | 10,826 | 9,746 |
| Text to 9-1-1 | 348 | 310 | 542 |
| Total 9-1-1 | 135,416 | 124,531 | 121,521 |
| 10-Digit Emergency | 33,437 | 32,517 | 30,566 |
| 10-Digit Non-Emergency (Law) | 114,375 | 105,386 | 98,796 |
| 10-Digit Other | 185,767 | 173,274 | 173,151 |
| Total 10-Digit Calls | 333,579 | 311,177 | 302,513 |
| Total Phone Calls | 468,995 | 435,708 | 424,034 |
Our Building
The Communications Center is 2,750 square feet, with 15 identical dispatch consoles. There is an eight-foot tall ribbon of windows circling the three exterior walls. These windows afford a varied view from golf course to eucalyptus grove, and even glimpses of the ocean.
Our building also houses the Emergency Operations Center for the City of Santa Cruz, conference and training rooms, employee physical fitness room, full kitchen, break room, and gorgeous outdoor deck. This building is occupied 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is designed to be aesthetically pleasing for visitors and our employees.