Butte County Dispatch Center has been around in some form since before 1958 and is currently funded through Butte County and the City of Belle Fourche, along with periodic grant funds. There are 6 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees that work a rotating 2-week swing schedule. There is always at least one dispatcher on duty; though at times we are blessed to be able to operate 2 positions simultaneously. The dispatch center is overseen by Sheriff Fred Lamphere. We are in business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays.
Our state-of-the-art center has been upgraded throughout the years until it has become one of the leaders in staff and technology in the state of South Dakota. We operate the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatching) system on two computer screens, R3 mapping system and RMS on another computer screen, and OMNIXX (our NCIC/NLETS/SDLETS system)/Recording System on a 4th computer screen. All dispatchers take part in in-house training, as well as state LET training in Pierre. Years of experience in our center range from 27 years to 3 years. Our center and staff are equipped to handle general administrative calls, law enforcement, ambulance, and fire calls. Daily we field a range of calls such as requests for phone numbers to extreme emergencies. Typically, due to size and location, approximately 80% of our daily workload are calls pertaining to Belle Fourche. The other 20% involve the communities of Nisland, Newell, Vale, Hoover, Aladdin, Alzada, Butte County, and Harding County, along with mis-routed calls from areas such as Spearfish or Rapid City.
We work in collaboration with other professionals in the public service fields, including our local and neighboring law enforcement, fire departments, ambulance services, emergency management offices, Lifeflight Helicopter, community shelters, and other groups. Our involvement with the community extends beyond work hours as we are continually updating and expanding our training and participation in community activities. We attend training for dispatchers, along with pertinent training with law enforcement and medical personnel. When we are able, we provide community awareness information to groups and events. We also participate in 9-1-1 For Schools each spring. During Dispatch Week we open the center to the public and provide one-on-one information to the citizens of Belle Fourche and Butte County.
Lost and Found Animals (Dogs and Livestock)
Lost: We will ask where it is lost from, what it looks like, (male or female), how long it’s been missing.
Found: We will ask what you found, where it is at, if it is confined or tied up, what it looks like, if the dog has tags what the number is, (male or female), and if you will be keeping the animal or if you need it picked up by law enforcement.
Livestock:
We deal with many, many calls concerning livestock out on the highways. While we try to keep a contact list updated for landowners, over time it has become incomplete and outdated and it is quite time-consuming to find the correct landowner. If you have livestock along Hwy 212, Hwy 85, Hwy 79, or Hwy 34 in Butte County (or if your livestock on any other road is prone to escaping), please call us and let us know the area the livestock is pastured along (mile markers are the best tools to help us locate the area) and the contact numbers (home and cell phone) for anyone responsible (owner, hired hand, or foreman) for the livestock.
To notify dispatch of your livestock information or if you have questions regarding the use of this information, please contact the Butte County Dispatch Center at 839 5th Avenue, Belle Fourche (basement of the Butte County Courthouse) or by calling 892-2737. Thank you.
To notify dispatch of your livestock information or if you have questions regarding the use of this information, please contact the Butte County Dispatch Center at 839 5th Avenue, Belle Fourche (basement of the Butte County Courthouse) or by calling 892-2737. Thank you.
Controlled Burn:
Please have your address, name, and what you are burning ready to give to us when you call. We request that you report a controlled burn to us before starting ANY/ALL burns, as well as calling us again to let us know that you have finished burning. During burn bans, all controlled burns are prohibited except those with the express permission of the fire department.
Sirens:
We test the Belle Fourche Siren daily at 12:00.
In the event of a FIRE, we sound the siren and turn it off after a couple rings.
During severe weather, we will not sound the fire siren.
In the event of a TORNADO WARNING, the siren will be sounded and will be allowed to time out (after approximately 3 ½ minutes – this may be done multiple times). We will also attempt to announce the weather information on the PA system in Belle Fourche and other communities in Butte County (where available).
During a tornado warning, dispatch becomes very busy with radio and phone traffic. Please bear this in mind when calling. Also, during a tornado warning, you would proceed with your standard severe weather plan for your individual family. It is a good idea to have a plan in place prior to a warning being issued.
Please see the National Weather Service website for the criteria for weather watches and warnings (blizzard, severe thunderstorm, tornado). http://www.nws.noaa.gov
In the event of a FIRE, we sound the siren and turn it off after a couple rings.
During severe weather, we will not sound the fire siren.
In the event of a TORNADO WARNING, the siren will be sounded and will be allowed to time out (after approximately 3 ½ minutes – this may be done multiple times). We will also attempt to announce the weather information on the PA system in Belle Fourche and other communities in Butte County (where available).
During a tornado warning, dispatch becomes very busy with radio and phone traffic. Please bear this in mind when calling. Also, during a tornado warning, you would proceed with your standard severe weather plan for your individual family. It is a good idea to have a plan in place prior to a warning being issued.
Please see the National Weather Service website for the criteria for weather watches and warnings (blizzard, severe thunderstorm, tornado). http://www.nws.noaa.gov
Wild Game:
For non-emergencies, please contact the Game, Fish and Parks office in Belle Fourche at 605- 892-4968. For routine calls, there is an answering machine if the officer is out of the office.
For after hours/emergencies, you may contact dispatch by using 9-1-1 or the admin number, and we will relay your message to the GFP officer.
For after hours/emergencies, you may contact dispatch by using 9-1-1 or the admin number, and we will relay your message to the GFP officer.
Business Contact Information:
The Butte County Dispatch Center, in Belle Fourche, is the contact for all law enforcement and emergency services within Butte County. Because we operate 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, while most businesses are closed, it becomes imperative that we have emergency contact numbers for ALL businesses within our county. Even if your business is operated out of your home, or if your business is open 24 hours a day, our agency needs to have phone numbers to contact a representative in case there is a problem. Examples of situations where dispatch may need this information, would be a fire in or near your business, or perhaps a situation at your business, where the employee is incapacitated; we need to know who to call.
The information we receive is entered into our business directory and is only accessed when we need to make contact with someone from a Butte County business. These emergency contact numbers are NOT released to anyone except Law Enforcement, and Fire/EMS personnel. Many times it will be the dispatcher who will contact you and advise you of the nature of the emergency at your business.
The Butte County Dispatch Center is in the process of updating our business directory, and would appreciate a call advising your business contact information. The dispatch center can also mail or fax a short form to your business, or you can stop by dispatch and fill out the form. We are requesting information from businesses in all of our communities-including Belle Fourche, Newell, Nisland, Vale and Fruitdale. Employees change, and locations may differ, and we appreciate your assistance in helping us update our information. To notify dispatch of your business information or if you have questions regarding the use of this information, please contact the Butte County Dispatch Center at 839 5th Avenue, Belle Fourche (basement of the Butte County Courthouse) or by calling 892-2737. Thank-you.
The information we receive is entered into our business directory and is only accessed when we need to make contact with someone from a Butte County business. These emergency contact numbers are NOT released to anyone except Law Enforcement, and Fire/EMS personnel. Many times it will be the dispatcher who will contact you and advise you of the nature of the emergency at your business.
The Butte County Dispatch Center is in the process of updating our business directory, and would appreciate a call advising your business contact information. The dispatch center can also mail or fax a short form to your business, or you can stop by dispatch and fill out the form. We are requesting information from businesses in all of our communities-including Belle Fourche, Newell, Nisland, Vale and Fruitdale. Employees change, and locations may differ, and we appreciate your assistance in helping us update our information. To notify dispatch of your business information or if you have questions regarding the use of this information, please contact the Butte County Dispatch Center at 839 5th Avenue, Belle Fourche (basement of the Butte County Courthouse) or by calling 892-2737. Thank-you.