One Center, dozens of agencies: Understanding the SFC Joint Communications Center

Most people don’t realize that nearly every interaction with law enforcement in our region is funneled through a single entity the St. Francois County Joint Communications Center (SFCJCC). Whether you are stopped by the Sheriff’s Department, the Mineral Area College Police, or even officers in Ste. Genevieve, Perry, or Iron Counties, the records often live in the same place.

The SFCJCC serves as the central hub for nearly all law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies in St. Francois County, as well as several neighboring counties. Here is a list of the law enforcement agencies:

• St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department
• Park Hills Police Department
• Bonne Terre Police Department
• Desloge Police Department
• Leadwood Police Department
• Leadington Police Department
• Bismarck Police Department
• Terre Du Lac Police Department
• Iron Mountain Lake Police Department
• Mineral Area College (MAC) Department of Public Safety
• Private Police: Goose Creek Police and Lake Timberline Police

While most agencies in the county use this center, there is one major exception:

• Farmington Police Department: While the St. Francois County 911 Center handles 911 calls and emergency management for the city, the Farmington Police Department maintains its own separate police dispatch operations for its officers.

Regional Reach

Beyond St. Francois County, this center has consolidated services to provide emergency dispatch for:

• Ste. Genevieve County (Sheriff and City Police)
• Perry County (including Perryville Police)
• Iron County.

This uniformity is a powerful tool for your defense. Because SFCJCC records, including 911 audio recordings, 911 transcripts, CAD written records, and audio dispatch records, are centralized, we can obtain a consistent “digital snapshot” of your encounter, regardless of which department was involved.

However, there is a catch: Retention is limited — these dispatch records are only held for [ ] years.* If we don’t request 911 audio recordings, 911 transcripts, CAD written records, and audio dispatch records before that time passes, the most objective record of your arrest could be deleted forever.

*I think dispatch records are retained two (2) years; but in almost three years in St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve counties, I don’t recall an instance where evidence requested like a CAD report or 911 call had been deleted.