Frequently Asked Questions - Communications

Dial 911 when life or property is in immediate danger.

Examples would be physical violence that is going on now or just happened, subjects needing immediate medical or fire department assistance, or if you observe an unknown person breaking into a residence or business.

To report non-emergency situations in Gage County, refer to the telephone directory government listings, or dial one of the following numbers for your local community.

Examples of non-emergency situations include parking problems, door to door solicitors, noise complaints, or to make a report on an incident that occurred hours or days earlier and is no longer going on.

When in doubt, dial 911.

• Gage County Sheriff's Office: 402-223-5221 for incidents in the unincorporated areas of the county.

• Beatrice Police Department: 402-223-4080

• Wymore Police Department: 402-645-3315

Let the dispatcher control the conversation. Stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you it is okay to hang up.

The dispatcher will need to know where help is needed.

• In general, give the street address or intersection and city or town. Don't forget any apartment number or the name of the business.

• In rural areas, you can use distance in yards or miles to nearest address, cross street, or landmark.

• In remote areas give as much information as possible. If you have gone to a phone at another location, the dispatcher may ask you to wait there to guide units to the scene.

The dispatcher will need the description of any persons or vehicles involved.  We have a standard format we use for descriptions, so let the dispatcher guide you.

Describe one person at a time.  Be as specific as you can.  Remember words like "young," "old," "tall," or "short," are relative. Try to estimate.  Is the young person in their mid teens or 20's?  Is the tall person 5 foot 6 inches or 6 foot 6 inches?

For vehicles, was it a large car or small?  Sedan or station wagon?  Light color or dark?  License plates are useful but don't focus on it to the exclusion of noticing anything else and please don't put yourself or others at risk to get the license number.

Please be patient if the dispatcher has to put you on hold.  Sometimes we need to put one caller on hold to answer another call.  We will finish assisting you as soon as we can.

The Sheriff's Office has law enforcement responsibility for unincorporated areas of Gage County, which are not inside city or town limits. This includes areas such as Adams, Barneston, Blue Springs, Clatonia, Cortland, Filley, Liberty, Pickrell, and Virginia. There are areas and pockets of communities all over the county that are handled by the Sheriff's Office.

If you are not sure if you live in Sheriff's Office or a city police department jurisdiction and want to know, please call us at 402-223-5221 and we can tell you.

When the Communications Center receives a 911 call and the caller doesn't speak or immediately hangs up, we have to verify whether it was an accidental call or if the caller could not speak due to a medical problem or being under duress. The 911 computer will show us the address and phone number the call came from.

A dispatcher will try to call back the number to reach an adult to verify whether or not there is a problem so appropriate help can be sent. If the dispatcher is unable to reach anyone, police or sheriff's units will be sent to the address to check on the occupants.