LEONARDTOWN, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services is celebrating a major milestone in emergency communications, tracing its evolution from a modest two-dispatcher Civil Defense Emergency Control Center in 1954 to a fully modernized 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center (ECC) in 2025.
The county’s original center opened in Leonardtown to serve as “a central point for emergency communications and dispatch of Fire and EMS response resources,” according to the Department of Emergency Services. For decades, the center operated with a small team, staffed 24/7 with two dispatchers, increasing to three during peak hours. Law enforcement maintained its own dispatch operations separately from the Sheriff’s Headquarters building.
Significant changes arrived in 2001, when the center was renamed the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center and relocated to its current site in Leonardtown. Shortly afterward, police dispatching was consolidated into the ECC, forming the county’s first single Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for fire, EMS, and law enforcement. The upgrade included the introduction of “advanced technology in dispatch operations through the use of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software.”
Responding to growth in the county’s population, officials expanded and remodeled the center again in 2011. “This included a large remodel project that increased the ECC’s capacity from six to nine dispatch consoles to allow for the support of the growing population of St. Mary’s County,” the department noted.
In 2025, the ECC completed its latest renovations, boosting its capacity to 11 dispatch consoles, adding divided sections for Fire/EMS and Law Enforcement dispatching, and creating a dedicated call-taking and training area. Enhancements included “larger consoles to integrate additional technology, new plexiglass panels color-coded by call status, and an upgraded design to improve morale and increase pride for all working in the ECC.”
“We have come a long way from 1954 to today, and technology has significantly improved, allowing us to provide quicker and more reliable emergency dispatch services to the citizens of St. Mary’s County,” the department stated. “We are thrilled with the newest upgrades to our ECC and greatly appreciate everyone who worked hard on it.”
The department’s look back at the past seven decades underscores the vital role the ECC continues to play in keeping the community safe and connected.
All photos courtesy of St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services.
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