Dane County 911 Director John Dejung Announces Retirement

July 03, 2020
Ariana Vruwink, 608-267-8823
County Executive, Public Safety Communication

John Dejung, the Director of the Dane County Department of Public Safety Communications (911), has announced he will retire this fall, County Executive Joe Parisi announced today.  Dejung has served as Director of the 911 Center the past 11 years, coming to Dane County after running 911 services in Minneapolis. Dejung’s retirement date is effective October 1, 2020.

“John oversaw key years of growth for our 911 Center and helped manage implementation of key technological improvements that will help keep people in our county safe for many years to come,” Parisi said. “John was especially instrumental in finishing the “DaneCom” radio communications network that is the backbone for the work police, fire, and emergency medical service (EMS) providers do in our communities every day. Regardless of where people live, those coming to help them can now communicate seamlessly, which improves emergency response and coordination,” Parisi added.

In addition to the new “DaneCom” interoperable radio network, the 911 Center also implemented “pre-alerting” during Dejung’s tenure to speed up the time in which public safety responders are dispatched to emergencies. Dane County has also launched new computer aided dispatch (CAD) and telephone systems and constructed a brand-new back-up 911 Center in the past several years. That back-up 911 Center has provided flexibility to keep dispatchers socially distanced during the current COVID-19 global pandemic and served as the primary dispatch center during emergencies like last summer’s downtown power outage.

Former County Executive Kathleen Falk hired Dejung as Dane County 911 Director back in March of 2009. The county will do a nationwide search for his successor.

The Public Safety Communications Center receives around 176,000 911 calls each year. It has a total workforce of 92 full time equivalent employees with an annual operating budget of $10.8 million.