County deliberating regional 911 problems

FALLS CITY – Richardson County Sheriff Rick Hardesty has asked county commissioners to discontinue a 911 contract with Southeast Communications 911 Center in Beatrice after four months of the service.

By adding Richardson County to its dispatch area, Southeast Communication Center has planned to provide 24-hour coverage with three persons, seven days a week.

Board Chairman David Sickel said issues with dispatching have been reported, including confusion over addresses.

He said county commissioners have not decided how to proceed, but are concerned that problems have not been fixed.

Sheriff Rick Hardesty also reported Tuesday that the county has three certified applicants for the open deputy position, but one does not reside within the county. Commissioners moved to allow the hiring of deputies that do not reside in the county.