Anson County Sheriff Tommy Allen announced Thursday, April 8, that he has appointed Holly Mullis as the new 911 operations director. Mullis has served as interim director for the past three months and succeeds Linda Tarlton, who passed away last month after a year-long battle with cancer. Mullis has been with 911 for over seven years.

“I am very proud to have Holly in this position. Her tenure with 911 and working closely with Linda over the years gives her the experience and knowledge to over see one of the most vital operations in this county,” Sheriff Allen said. “We are just beginning the most major upgrade of 911 in the past 10 years. We are also implementing the emergency dispatch program. I believe Holly’s knowledge and leadership skills will help to see that these projects are completed as planned.”

The 911 Operations Center is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with two and sometimes three dispatchers. It handles all calls for the Sheriff’s Office, volunteer fire departments throughout the county, the Anson Rescue Squad and EMS. It also handles calls for the Lilesville, Morven and Wadesboro Police Departments. In 2009, the Center handled over 18,000 calls.

In July 2008, the 911 Operations Center was turned over to the sheriff to oversee and has since seen significant upgrades in staff training. All dispatchers are now state certified as well as EMD (emergency medical dispatch) trained and certified. The Center operates with 11 full-time and several part-time staff.