Tacoma, Wash. (July 5, 2011) – LESA’s 9-1-1 community education program will get a boost this year with help from a $5,000 State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship grant. The grant will go toward a year-long community education campaign, Be Safe – Be a Good Neighbor, beginning this month. The campaign aims to educate families and neighborhood groups about what to expect when calling 9-1-1.

Many 9-1-1 education programs stress the need to only call 9-1-1 for life-or-death emergencies or in-progress crimes – which is important – but this approach can sometimes create fear, causing some to not call for help at all. LESA’s Be Safe – Be a Good Neighbor campaign provides citizens with information they need should they have to call, which includes educating citizens about the kinds of questions they may be asked by a 9-1-1 call taker and what information they may need to provide or remember.

Neighborhood groups or associations interested in scheduling a Be Safe – Be a Good Neighbor 9-1-1 presentation should email [email protected] for more information.

Citizens should dial 9-1-1 for emergency situations in which a prompt response is needed, such as a life threatening injury or illness or for a serious crime that is in-progress. Keeping 9-1-1 phone lines open for true emergencies affords call takers the opportunity to get people immediate assistance in times of crisis. Non-emergencies may be reported 24-hours a day, seven days a week, by calling LESA’s non-emergency phone number, 253-798-4721.

About the Law Enforcement Support Agency
LESA provides 9-1-1 call-taking, police dispatch and a records/data channel for 11 police agencies serving approximately 88% of the Pierce County population. Though known primarily for providing 9-1-1 communications, LESA also provides Records Management and Information Technology services for law enforcement agencies serving approximately 96% of the Pierce County population. For more information about LESA, visit www.lesa.net.