Emergency - 911 Program
The City currently provides the citizens of the county with 911 Emergency service. The process for providing service began with awarding a contract for mapping work in 1989. Actual operation of E-911 began in October 1991 in the rear of City Hall. During the ongoing process, numerous duplicate road names in the city and county were identified and eliminated. Private drives were also identified and named during this process.

The Central Dispatch has direct communications with the City and County Fire Departments, City Police, Sheriff's Department, Hardin County Rescue Squad, and the Hardin County Emergency Medical Service. Dispatchers are trained and certified in giving pre-arrival instructions and CPR.

The E-911 services maintain an in-house database, which allows the dispatcher to access information that can be necessary for providing emergency services. Residents and businesses throughout the city and county are listed in the database. This information is updated on a weekly basis.

A board consisting of a Chairman and eight other members dictate operating policies to E-911. The board typically meets on a monthly basis.

Police Department
The Police Chief supervises 11 police officers, 2 investigators, 9 dispatchers, 2 police clerks, and the E-911 system coordinator. The Police Department also includes a certified K-9 officer who handles Jessie, a Belgian Malinois police dog.

The City Police Department is a pro-active participant in the community anti-crime program. Providing assistance in establishing neighborhood watch programs, conducting anti-crime classes in the elementary schools, and providing instructions to banks, churches, and businesses on preventative measures for greater security are all major components in the City's anti-crime program.

Each year City policemen conduct the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program in the city's two elementary schools. This is a collaborative effort by the Police Department, educators, students, and community to offer an educational program in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse, violence, and gang involvement. The emphasis is to help students recognize and resist the many direct and subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, or other drugs or to engage in violence. A specially trained officer is assigned to the school one day a week for one semester to conduct classes in the 5th grade.

Fire Department
The Fire Chief supervises 7 full-time firemen, 1 secretary, and 18 volunteer firemen. The fire Department is responsible for handling all fire calls within a five-mile radius of City Hall. The Fire Chief also serves as the City's Safety Director.

The Fire Department promotes fire safety in area schools with the use of the "Fire Safety House". The "Fire Safety House" is a miniature two-story house on wheels that simulates a fire with real smoke and doors that feel hot when touched. School children are carried through the house and taught how to react safely during a fire.