Sandoval County celebrates opening of dispatch center that can’t handle most 911 calls

Sandoval County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 24 to celebrate its new dispatch center, even as the facility remains unable to independently handle approximately 85% of 911 calls from the county’s estimated 42,000 non-Rio Rancho residents.

The Public Safety Emergency Communications Center of Sandoval County can only directly receive approximately 15% of 911 calls—those from landlines, T-Mobile customers and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services within the county’s jurisdiction. The remaining 85% of calls, including all wireless 911 calls, must be routed through Rio Rancho’s system, and involve Rio Rancho dispatch personnel creating operational burdens and forcing the city to pay overtime to staff who handle the overflow.

Three weeks after a July 1 press release announced the center as “fully operational,” Rio Rancho continues to serve as the primary answering point for most county emergency calls, according to city officials.

“I am deeply disappointed by Sandoval County’s assertion of opening a new, fully functional 911 dispatch center in a press release on July 1st when that was not the case,” Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull said. “Until Sandoval County fully meets its obligations to provide a ‘fully functional’ dispatch center as promised to residents of Sandoval County, the City of Rio Rancho, with its decades of 911 dispatch center operations experience, will fill the gaps and assist with 911 services as necessary for residents and visitors countywide.”

According to Sandoval County Manager Wayne Johnson, the technical issues stem from the complex transition to Next Generation 911 systems, which use Internet Protocol networks called Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInet) to route calls. According to federal regulations from the Federal Communications Commission, all 911 calls must be properly routed to Public Safety Answering Points, but system transitions often experience technical difficulties.

Johnson said that the center currently receives all landline and Voice over Internet Protocol calls, plus T-Mobile wireless calls — representing about 15% to 20% of total call volume. The remaining calls route through Rio Rancho’s infrastructure, requiring city dispatchers to transfer information to county personnel.

“Rio Rancho is transferring 40 calls per day, including 2 to 4 landline calls in a 24-hour period,” Johnson said. 

The delay in call routing stems from the state’s implementation of the NextGen 911 system, which was supposed to switch all phone traffic from the old system to the new system on July 1. However, telecommunications vendors Lumen and Motorola failed to meet multiple deadlines, Johnson said.

“The PSECC was told by the state’s vendors that all calls would be cut over at 10 a.m. July 1st. That was our expectation and it should have happened,” Johnson said. “The vendors have assured us on multiple occasions that we would be receiving all calls by various times on a number of different days. So far, none of them have delivered service as promised.”

From July 1-16, Rio Rancho handled 2,723 911 calls, with 725 of those requiring relay to the county center that should have been answered directly by county staff, according to city data.

The arrangement creates a complex call-routing system far different from the streamlined process that existed before July 1, when Rio Rancho’s dispatch center answered all 911 county calls within 10 seconds, exceeding national standards.

Deputy County Manager Eric Masterson did not acknowledge the challenges, saying the July 1 launch “went well” with “all calls getting answered” and that “people are getting the help they need.” 

Johnson said that the launch “had some bumps in the road” but emphasized that all emergency calls are being answered and help is reaching those who need it.

“Everyone that calls 911 in Sandoval County has and will continue to have an answer and receive service,” Johnson said. “We should have been routing calls to the center starting at 10 a.m. on July 1, and we’ve only been routing directly to the center, only partially in that time period.”

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Johnson doubled down on the center being “fully functional,” saying, “who knew that we could move a Public Safety Access Point in just 18 months. Who knew that we could train an entirely new staff of dispatchers in just 18 months, who knew that we could gut an old county building and turn it into a fully functional dispatch center in just 18 months to create an even more responsive public safety organization.” 

Johnson also thanked the City of Rio Rancho for its “assistance during the transition.”

“I would say, without fear of contradiction, that the Rio Rancho staff is dedicated to making sure that every resident receives emergency services that they need in their time of crisis,” Johnson said. 

Beyond call-routing problems, the county center has been unable to access the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database—a critical law enforcement tool that provides background checks, stolen property information and warrant data.

Rio Rancho has been forced to handle all NCIC requests for county agencies since July 1, performing 331 database queries from July 2 – July 11 that county dispatchers should have been able to conduct themselves. The county agreed to pay Rio Rancho $1,000 per day starting July 11 for these services.

NCIC certification requires technology and equipment, and specialized 8-hour training courses and testing, with recertification every two years. Access is restricted to personnel with proven law enforcement needs and dispatchers receive specific authorization levels for their duties.

For law enforcement officers, the delay in accessing databases creates potential safety risks during traffic stops and investigations, when quick background information is crucial.

“I mean, if I’m sitting here waiting on you to run a plate, and I got someone who’s wanted for murder sitting in front of me, and I don’t know it for 10 more minutes, because you couldn’t look something up. That’s a problem,” said Rio Rancho City Councilor Bob Tyler, a former police officer. 

County officials said they began seeking NCIC certification in November 2024, but the state Department of Public Safety questioned the center’s location just two days before the July 1 launch.

The county initiated an NCIC conversation with the State Department of Public Safety on November 19, 2024, Johnson said.

For now, county officers request background checks through radio communication with Rio Rancho dispatchers who access the NCIC system. 

“Officers advise the dispatcher they need NCIC. PSECC dispatchers then advise them to go to the NCIC channel and then notify Rio Rancho,” Johnson said. 

According to Johnson, the process takes only seconds due to the state’s 700MHz radio system.

Rio Rancho officials expressed frustration that the county proceeded with its July 1 launch knowing these technological limitations would prevent full operation for months.

The dispatch center issues have intensified already-strained relations between Rio Rancho and Sandoval County. Rio Rancho withdrew from the regional emergency communications system in November 2023, giving 19 months’ notice when only six months was required.

Before July 1, emergency calls for the entire county were handled through the Sandoval County Regional Emergency Communications Center (SCRECC), which was located in a Rio Rancho city building and operated by Rio Rancho staff. That system answered 100% of the county’s 57,000 annual 911 calls within 10 seconds—exceeding national standards—and also handled more than 276,000 non-emergency calls.

The old system used a simple process: citizens called 911, Rio Rancho staff answered immediately, entered information into a computer-aided dispatch, assigned calls to appropriate dispatchers, and contacted the relevant agencies, whether that was Bernalillo fire, Corrales police, or county sheriff’s deputies.

Rio Rancho served as the fiscal agent and lead operator, paying the majority of costs while other communities—including Corrales, Bernalillo, Santa Ana Pueblo and various smaller communities—paid proportional amounts. Despite providing most of the funding and expertise, Rio Rancho officials felt they lacked adequate representation on the advisory board that governed the system.

“Just because you asked for the divorce, it doesn’t mean you caused it,” Rio Rancho City Manager Matt Geisel said.

The withdrawal forced the county to establish a new joint powers agreement with Corrales, Bernalillo and Santa Ana Pueblo to create an independent dispatch center. Under the agreement, which was approved by county commissioners in May, Sandoval County serves as the lead agency with a governing board that includes representatives from each participating community.

Rio Rancho had offered to continue providing dispatch services through a direct service agreement rather than the board structure, but the other communities rejected this option and chose to proceed with the county’s new center.

Masterson also spoke at the ceremony, praising the collaboration between Corrales, Bernalillo and Santa Ana Pueblo while admitting to some “technical difficulties.”

“You’re going to have some system glitches, to be honest, we’re still working through some of them. So while we celebrate today, I want to be transparent. Yeah, we do have some challenges, and we’re still working through them,” Masterson said. “But as you heard from the county manager, calls are being answered, emergencies are being handled and help is getting to those who need it. That success wouldn’t be possible without contingency planning and those outside regional partners. One of those key partners is the city of Rio Rancho Emergency Communications Center. We recognized very quickly on day one that calls weren’t routing appropriately. We were on the phone with the city where the calls are continuing to be routed.”

Hull accused county officials of misleading the public about the center’s capabilities. 

“Sandoval County Manager Wayne Johnson and Deputy County Manager Eric Masterson have not been transparent with County residents regarding the many issues involving its new 911 dispatch center,” Hull said.

According to Hull, Masterson told him directly on July 3 that the county had issued a press release touting a fully operational center when it could not actually receive 911 calls directly. Hull said Masterson promised to update the public with correct information, but never did so.

Rio Rancho officials said they would have accepted an honest assessment of the county’s readiness. Instead, officials said the county has continued celebrating the launch with public events while relying on Rio Rancho to handle most emergency calls.

The operational problems create financial burdens for both Rio Rancho taxpayers, who fund overtime for dispatchers handling county calls, and county residents paying for services that aren’t fully functional.

“It is not the city of Rio Rancho taxpayers’ responsibility to subsidize the cost for Corrales, for Santa Ana, for Bernalillo,” Rio Rancho Deputy City Manager Peter Wells said.

But beyond financial concerns, city officials worry about public safety impacts when their dispatch center becomes “stretched and stressed” handling calls meant for the county center. 

“What really worries me is what happens when the system gets stretched because it is not working in the way it needs to be working on their side,” Geisel said. “Let’s cross our fingers that we’re gonna get through September, October, with no major incidents.” 

The county center also lacks backup systems. If Rio Rancho’s center experiences problems, all calls automatically route to Santa Fe County’s dispatch center—not to the county’s new center, which lacks the redundancy to serve as a backup.

“We have made contacts with Santa Fe, Bernalillo County and Rio Rancho,” Johnson said.”At this time, because of the configuration of the system, calls would route to the Rio Rancho center. How that looks long term will be determined later.”

Before the separation, the combined system handled approximately 57,000 annual 911 calls and 276,000 non-emergency calls with 911 call answering times under 10 seconds—exceeding national standards.

The current arrangement requires county residents calling with emergencies to potentially wait longer as calls route through Rio Rancho’s system, get transferred to the county, or require relay of information between centers.

“This can’t be the best way to get help in an emergency,” said Wells, who outlined the complex call-routing process now required for most county 911 calls.

The county center, located in a retrofitted 2,781-square-foot building in the Sandoval County Administration Complex, operates with a 26-member dispatch team serving rural areas, tribal communities, and the towns of Corrales, Bernalillo and Santa Ana Pueblo.

“Winston Churchill said this during World War II: Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is encouraged. That’s what we’re going to continue to do. We’re going to continue to move forward,” Masterson said. “We’re going to continue to overcome, no matter the obstacle. This is more than a building, it’s a promise. To our officers out there and to the people that we serve, the citizens and visitors of Sandoval County, you have my commitment, the commitment of the team here for you, the commitment of the elected officials and everyone in between. We are  going to continue to improve this center and make it the best center that we could possibly make it for Sandoval County, if not New Mexico.”