A new 911 system is to go online around August 1, 2005 for the Union County Sheriff's office. At present, the 911 calls all come into the El Dorado Police Dept and then are transfered to the SO by El Dorado dispatchers. With the new system, any call originating outside the city limits of El Dorado will automatically be routed by the system to go to the UCSO. The UCSO dispatchers can now from one console, activate tornado sirens, dispatch rural fd's, and communicate with all first responders thoughout the region. It also allows them to answer ProMed's (ambulance's) phones if no one is in their station. This is one of the first systems of it's kind in the state. "It was as as easy as dragging a computer icon into a digital box, said Union County Sheriff Ken Jones. That simple action can "patch" together two diferent agencies in the region, who usually operate on separate frequencies. With the old system, the Arkansas State Police and UCSO could only communicate with the help of dispatchers relaying information." The system cost the county over $70,000 It was reported to me by a member of the scanningarkansas Yahoo group that El Dorado News Times newspaper had printed that Union County has asked for bids on installation and equipment necessary to join the new AWIN system used by the state police.