Vernon County implementing next generation 911 this week

VERNON COUNTY, Wis. – The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office notified Vernon County residents on Tuesday that the Sheriff’s Office 911 Communications Center has begun a two day transition to Next Generation 911. The transition to a new system is the culmination of a process over several years that involved multiple county departments (Sheriff’s Office, Land Information, Emergency Management, Information Technology) to assist with the installation of new hardware and software to get the system operational.

Vernon Sheriff Roy Torgerson said via social media the goal for this week is a seamless transition so that the very basic 911 service you have come to know and trust for the last 25 years is not interrupted. Torgerson said following that transition, his department will reveal the added features and enhanced capabilities with the new platform.

What NG911 Is and Why It Is Needed?

Next Generation 911 is vital because the current E9-1-1 system—which originated as a voice-only service in the 1960s and was later updated in the 1990s—was never designed to handle modern digital traffic. Wisconsin’s existing system has been described as a patchwork of locally administered Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), often leading to inefficiencies such as slow response times when calls require transferring between centers, or when callers must verbally provide location information...