Lauderdale County E911

04/18/2026

E-911 Dispatcher Spotlight: Maryon Sillimon

Maryon Sillimon is a lifelong resident of Lauderdale County. She grew up in the Lauderdale community and later the Collinsville area. Her fascination with first responders started early from watching the television show “911.”

That fascination led to a friend sending Sillimon an application to become an E-911 dispatcher, and she’s been doing it ever since.

“I was like, ‘ok. I think this is something I can maybe get into,’” she said. “I ended up starting it and loving it. I think this is one of my best jobs I’ve had.”

With almost a year into the job, Sillimon said it can be demanding. Dispatchers have to juggle multiple things at once and keep calm under pressure to gather critical information and send potentially lifesaving care where it is needed most.

E-911 dispatchers are the first point of contact in the public safety sphere for many people, and there is always a dispatcher ready to answer if a 911 call is needed.

“We’re the first, first responders. You call, we answer. We get you to whoever you need, whether it’s fire, medical or officer,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how small it is or how big. We’re there. We’ve got your back.”

Dispatches will do everything in their power to help, Sillimon said, but they need patience and cooperation from callers to get the job done. Those calling 911 can expect a lot of questions, she said, and that is because first responders need information to know what to expect, how to prepare and how best to address the situation when they arrive on scene.

“That’s where the patience has to come in because if we don’t know, we can’t help,” she said. “So it helps us make sure our fire department, our police officers know exactly what they’re walking into, so we have to ask questions.”

April 12-18 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and Lauderdale County is using the observance to highlight the work of its E-911 dispatchers and the vital role they play in public safety. Anyone interested in learning more about being an E-911 dispatcher can call 601-482-7559.

04/17/2026

E-911 Dispatcher Spotlight: Kenneth Rowell

With more than 17 years as an E-911 dispatcher, Kenneth Rowell has heard it all. There are the good calls when problems are solved and the caller is able to go about their day, and there are calls that are hard to handle.

Rowell, who was born and raised in the Lawrence community in Newton County, started off his career in law enforcement. He joined the Forest Police Department as a police officer in 2005.

In 2007 multiple knee surgeries in both legs led him to pivot to 911 dispatching for Forest first responders instead. A few years later, he joined Lauderdale County E-911 and has been working there ever since.

“I had three years prior dispatching there, so altogether I’ve got 17 years dispatching, 20 years law enforcement, “ he said.

One of the first things a 911 dispatcher will ask when someone calls is where they are calling from, Rowell said. It’s a critical piece of information in getting help on the way.

“I need to know where. If I know where, I can send somebody if nothing else,’” he said.

E-911 dispatchers serve a critical role, Rowell said. Parts of the job have been enjoyable while others have been tragic. Rowell said he is the only one at the E-911 center dispatching on June 9, 2022, when Meridian Police Officer Kennis Croom was killed responding to a domestic violence call.

“You get your highs; you get your lows. It’s a job, and we don’t get a lot of pats on the back. It’s a thankless job, and we know that when we take the job.”

For those who do have to call 911, Rowell said be patient. Dispatchers are doing everything they can to help, but they need information to ensure the right resources are sent that way.

“We get called, and we get cussed at and fussed at, and we’re just tryin to save you and trying to help you. People don’t understand that,” he said.

April 12-18 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and Lauderdale County is using the observance to highlight the work of its E-911 dispatchers and the vital role they play in public safety. Anyone interested in learning more about being an E-911 dispatcher can call 601-482-7559.

04/16/2026

E-911 Dispatcher Spotlight: Josh Hollingshead

A Wayne County native, Josh Hollingshead started his career in corrections. He worked for years in Greene County before moving to Meridian and working at the Lauderdale County Detention Facility.

After losing a job and needing to find work, he reached out to a friend about a potential spot in the E-911 office. Working in the corrections field gave him an idea of what the job would require and showed he can succeed in high stress environments.

“I knew that this was an available choice, and I knew I would be kind of good at it just from my previous background,” he said.

That was more than nine years ago, Hollingshead said, and he’s still going strong at Lauderdale County E-911.

One misconception about the job, he said, is the amount of information dispatchers get from calls. Movies and television paint a picture where dispatchers can instantly identify where someone is calling from and what response is needed, but that isn’t reality.

“People have this false sense of how 911 works from Hollywood, and it’s just not the case,” he said.

Callers get frustrated with dispatchers because they ask so many questions, but those questions are being asked for good reasons. Hollingshead said dispatchers need to understand the full situation to help first responders prepare and know the urgency needed in their actions.

All 911 calls are taken seriously, Hollingshead said, but there is a difference in responding to a minor shoplifting call as opposed to bank robbery, or firefighters heading to a call with visible flames instead of the smell of smoke.

Another common issue is the time it takes from the initial 911 call to get first responders to the scene. While law enforcement, fire ighters or emergency medical personnel are dispatched quickly, it will still take a few minutes for them to travel to the emergency.

“I think the big takeaway is you call 911, be patient and cooperate,” he said.

April 12-18 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and Lauderdale County is using the observance to highlight the work of its E-911 dispatchers and the vital role they play in public safety. Anyone interested in learning more about being an E-911 dispatcher can call 601-482-7559.

04/15/2026

E-911 Dispatcher Spotlight: Zacharie Rigdon

Zacharie Rigdon never thought a career as an E-911 dispatcher was in his future. The Meridian native went to school to be an Emergency Medical Technician before working at a variety of jobs in the area.

“I think I was doing delivery driving for the specialty pharmacy here and ended up seeing the position open up here,” he said.

After more than 2.5 years as a dispatcher, Rigdon said the job is both challenging and rewarding.

“This is one of those jobs you really don’t know what it is until you get to it,” he said.

Describing the job as “multitasking to the max,” Rigdon said being an E-911 dispatcher in Lauderdale County provides an opportunity to talk to a lot of different people. Dispatchers field calls from Meridian and Lauderdale County residents and coordinate with local law enforcement, fire and emergency medical agencies.

With its location on the interstate, Meridian and Lauderdale County also see E-911 calls from truck drivers and others who experience trouble while passing through.

“You’re listening to all your radio people, officers, deputies, making sure you get people to the right spot and the appropriate people to the right spot,” he said.

Helping direct resources to those in a moment of need is rewarding, Rigdon said, but it can also be frustrating as dispatchers don’t always know the outcome of their work. Once first responders arrive on scene and take over, dispatchers may not learn what happened to the callers they tried to help.

“We get the beginning of the call. We don’t always get a resolution to it,” he said. “That’s one of the tougher parts because you don’t always get to know this ended like this, this ended like that.”

There are also calls where dispatchers do learn the outcome and learn their efforts helped the person on the other end of the phone, and those situations are very rewarding, Rigdon said.

When calling 911, Rigdon said the dispatcher is going to ask a lot of questions, and there’s a reason why. The more information dispatch can gather, the more prepared first responders can be and the safer the situation is for everyone.

“We want to make sure we get you the appropriate amount of response, plus we want our officers safe also. Officers, firemen, any of our medical people that we get dispatched out, we want to make sure they’re safe also,” he said. “It’s a two-way street. We want them as safe as possible and our people. We want everyone to have a peaceful resolution to whatever issue happens.”

April 12-18 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and Lauderdale County is using the observance to highlight the work of its E-911 dispatchers and the vital role they play in public safety. Anyone interested in learning more about being an E-911 dispatcher can call 601-482-7559.

09/25/2025

Lauderdale County E9-1-1 is receiving 9-1-1 calls. Please again use 9-1-1 as your emergency contact for law, fire, and medical emergencies.

Thank you to our partners at Meridian Fire Department and the Lauderdale County, MS Sheriff's Office, who were crucial in helping us during this service interruption.

Send a message to learn more

09/25/2025

911 SERVICES ARE DOWN across a large multi-state area. Per AT&T's 911 Resolution center, 911 calls cannot be received.

For the immediate future, please, if you need emergency services in Lauderdale County, contact us via the numbers below!

Thank you!

06/04/2025

We are accepting applications for Full Time 911 Telecommunicators! Please visit the county website to view our job description and download the Application. Applications can be remitted in-person or via email.

11/12/2024

Thank you Mama Duck Sweets for thinking about us! It is greatly appreciated!!

07/16/2024

Thank you for thinking of us!! It is greatly appreciated!

04/12/2024

Many thanks to the Town of Marion MS Police Department for the meat, Metro Ambulance Service for the grill, and Lauderdale Emergency Management Agency for moving the grill to us so we could have our National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week cookout!