Every county in Illinois now has 911 service

TOULON, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois State Police have announced that every county in Illinois is now covered by emergency 911 service.

“This is a significant milestone for ISP’s Division of Statewide 911 and the whole state,” ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly said in a statement on Monday. ​ “The agreement between these two counties means residents will see quicker response times as telecommunicators can get the appropriate first responders en route sooner.”

Stark County became the final county to gain 911 services after entering into an agreement with Peoria County to create a Joint Emergency Telephone System Board. Prior to that agreement, Stark County residents had to call a 10-digit number for emergency services.

“With the intergovernmental agreement between Stark and Peoria counties, each county in Illinois now has a comprehensive and coordinated 911 system,” said ISP Illinois Statewide 911 Administrator Cindy Barbera-Brelle. ​ “Illinois is continuing to migrate 911 systems to the State’s Next Generation 911 network, which will provide increased services and better responses in an emergency.”

In 2015, the Illinois General Assembly ordered the Illinois State Police to get 911 services operational throughout the state.

The mandate also required the creation of a next-generation 911 system that would deliver services to anyone traveling through the state of Illinois, including text and video communication.

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