The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Public Safety Communications Center (PSC) has been approved by the State of Florida as meeting the requirements of the 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator Training Program.

The approval means the PSC is in compliance with new measures that require 911 dispatchers and call-takers in the state have 232 hours of classroom instruction to become certified to answer calls. Previously the certification was voluntary and required 208 hours of training which was not necessarily uniform statewide.

Now, the Department of Health must certify that call center training programs meet Department of Education standards for call-taker training curriculum. All call-takers must then pass an examination before they are certified. Certification may be renewed by completing 20 hours of training every two years.

It is important to note that the training requirements of the Sarasota County PSC exceeded the state standard prior to the implementation of the new law.