Communications - 911 Regional Dispatch Center
Always Open
Emergency or Crime in Progress: 9-1-1
Non Emergency: 541-966-3651
To report a crime or contact a deputy: 541-966-3651
The Communications Division and 911 Regional Dispatch Center at the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office is the first point of contact for most citizens who live in and visit Umatilla County when they call for police, fire, ambulance, or other kinds of assistance. Our center is located in the Umatilla County Criminal Justice Center in Pendleton, OR. We receive emergency 911 and non-emergency calls from the cities of Adams, Athena, Echo, Helix, Hermiston, Meacham, Pendleton, Pilot Rock, Stanfield, Ukiah, Umatilla, and Weston, as well as from the unincorporated areas of Umatilla County. Our center dispatches for 18 public safety agencies throughout the region, including the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office, Union Pacific Railroad Officers, the U.S. Forest Service Officers, and for all police, fire and medical agencies for the cities listed above.
We are staffed by 16 full-time Telecommunicators/Emergency Medical Dispatchers and 1 On-call Telecommunicators/Emergency Medical Dispatcher who are trained and certified by the State of Oregon. They are supervised by three Communications Sergeants, one Lieutenant, and Captain Karen Primmer, who are responsible for overseeing the operations of the Communication Division.
The UCSO Telecommunicators/EMDs must obtain and maintain certifications through the Oregon Department of Public Safety and Standards Training (DPSST) for the areas of Law Enforcement Telecommunications and Emergency Medical Dispatch, and must attend and graduate from Oregon’s Telecommunications Academy's course in Salem, OR. They must abide by all State and Federal guidelines regarding the access and distribution of the confidential information in the regional records management system, the Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). They are responsible for entering and confirming warrants, restraining orders, no contact orders, stalking orders, runaways and missing persons reports, stolen vehicles, guns and other property into LEDS and the local records database.
Citizens calling our center may do so either on one of our 911 lines or business lines. When doing so, each citizen's call is answered by a caring and thoroughly trained Communications Specialist who provides aid, comfort, and information in a citizen's time of need. Our 911 callers are provided with medical pre-arrival instructions, assistance in handling in progress emergencies, help in mediating disputes and/or domestic situations, access to a language line for non-English speaking persons, and information and referrals to other Municipal, County, State and/or Federal agencies for assistance. In addition to our primary responsibility of providing police, fire and medical responses, our communications center is also responsible for entering and confirming county and municipal warrants, restraining orders, no contact orders, stalking orders, runaways and missing persons, stolen vehicles, guns and other stolen property into LEDS and the local records database.
Our professional staff in the dispatch center are the “first, first responders”, and are always ready to help. People who call our dispatch center may do so either on 911 lines in case of an emergency, or on our business phone lines or can Text to 9-1-1 when unable to call. When doing so, each person’s call is answered by a caring, helpful and extensively trained Communications Specialist who provides aid, comfort, and information in a person’s time of need.
Persons who call our dispatch center can be are provided with a wide variety of help and services, including medical instructions, assistance in handling in progress emergencies, help in mediating disputes and/or domestic situations, access to a language lines for non-English speaking persons, information and referrals to other municipal, county, state or federal agencies for assistance, and many other services.
Captain Karen Primmer
Captain Karen Primmer has 34 years of public safety experience. She began her career as a law enforcement Telecommunicator/Dispatcher in 1990, at the Hermiston Police Department where she worked for 24 years. She was recognized as “Dispatcher of the Year” in 1992, and again in 2002.
In 2014, the City of Hermiston consolidated public safety dispatch services with Umatilla County. At that time, Karen joined the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch team. Because of her vast experience, she was quickly promoted to the position of Communications Sergeant. In 2020, Karen was again promoted to the position of Communications Captain, where she oversees and manages all aspects of the Sheriff’s Dispatch Center.
In 2024, Captain Primmer was named by her staff and peers as, “Manager of the Year” for the State of Oregon by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO). The award means a great deal to her as it was submitted by her staff to the Awards Committee of APCO.
Karen currently holds the Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Supervisory, and Management Certifications from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). She is a graduate of the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association’s Command College, and also a graduate of the Association of Oregon Counties’ Professional Development Academy for High Performance Leadership. Captain Primmer is an Executive Board Member of the Oregon Chapter of APCO.
Karen graduated from Hermiston High School, and Blue Mountain Community College with an Associates in Liberal Arts. She and her husband, Doug, a UCSO Reserve Sergeant have been married for 28 years, and have 5 children and 4 grandchildren.
Contact Information
Umatilla County Sheriff Office
Regional Dispatch Center
4700 NW Pioneer Place
Pendleton, OR 97801
Always Open:
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non Emergency: 541-966-3651
To report a crime or contact a
deputy: 541-966-3651
Crime in Progress? Call 9-1-1
Business Line: 541-966-3600
sheriff@umatillacounty.gov
Services
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