City’s forward thinking of emergency response continues

City of La Follette hosts open house for new 911 Center

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- In 1974, the City of La Follette launched its 911 program a long time before most cities, even major cities. “For more than 25 years, we, the City, handled all the 911 calls for the entire county, Caryville, Jacksboro, Jellico, La Follette,” said former longtime Chief of Police Earl Carroll.

That kind of forward thinking continues thanks to the City of La Follette E911 Board of Directors and Director Todd Overbay. The City’s new center is state-of-the-art right down to its new logo. “I’m excited what technology is bringing to us and for us,” said Overbay.

Overbay asked those in attendance “what is 911”? “It’s the ability for a customer, subscriber, caller to get public safety services,” he said noting the very first 911 call was made in 1968 in Alabama.

Several success stories of the city’s 911 system were shared by Overbay. “He told of a woman’s heart stopping. She was driving on Nevada Avenue with folks in her car and hit a utility pole. The first officer was there in literally seconds, just over a minute. The patient went from lying on the ground with her heart stopped to up and walking around after emergency personnel revived her,” said Overbay.

With the new E911 center, the combination of communication from an E911 telecommunicator to emergency personnel and then the response of police, fire, first responders is the best it can be for this place in time. Taking a 911 text is now possible with the new system as on camera communication is almost here.

Before a tour of the new E911 Center, in the City’s auditorium, Overbay showed on a big screen projector what comes up on the computer screen for a telecommunicator when a call is made to 911. He pointed out the call that had just come in from the east side of the city. “See this green circle?” he asked. Overbay explained that the person in need of help is within the circle in a radius of about 15-feet.

Leann Helton is the Deputy Director for E911 and says “we are very lucky to have this”. “All these tools, resources make for a lot quicker response time,” said Helton.

More than 90% of all calls to an E911 Center are by way of a mobile (cell) phone. “It takes a certain type of person to take an emergency call. There’s a big difference in taking a phone call at the insurance office or the bank, because people who call 911 are in a panic. They have trouble even telling you where they live or what kind of car is in their driveway. Ironically, the most effective callers to E911 are children,” said Overbay.

“Technology is making such a difference in the way we patrol, answer calls and help folks. This new 911 system is amazing,” said La Follette Chief of Police Matthew Forsyth.

Brenda Moses, retired telecommunicator, was in attendance as were former La Follette Police Officer John Vanover (left), veteran LPD Chief Earl Carroll. Overbay told of his vast 911 experience and called Moses by far the best telecommunicator he’d ever been around, and that included his time with Tennessee Highway Patrol telecommunicators. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-10/07/2025-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)