“Name that Year” is designed to put your knowledge of Tracy and its newsmakers of the past to the test. Each week, we will publish a news item that ran in a past edition — maybe it was a major event, or a story about a Tracy resident — it’s up to you to determine in what year that particular news item hit the pages of the paper:
• TRACY POLICE DISPATCHERS TURNED OFF THEIR RADIOS FOR THE LAST TIME IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR.
All emergency police, fire and ambulance dispatching in Tracy will now be handled through the universal 911 system. The 911 system is no stranger to Tracy. It has been utlilized in recent years for most local emergency calls. But before now, local citizens had the option of calling Tracy police dispatchers during the 48 hours they were on duty each week.
This fall, in an economic move, the city council voted to discontinue the dispatching service. Tracy once had around-theclock local police dispatching.
Acting Police Chief Wayne DeBlieck stressed that citizens should dial 911 for all emergencies.
The 911 number is answered at all times by the sheriff’s dispatcher in Marshall, who then relays the message to authorities in Tracy.
DeBlieck says that he cannot stress enough the emphasis on dialing 911 in case of emergency. The old Tracy police department or fire department numbers should not be used.
Emergency calls are considered robberies, domestic disputes, muggings and any situation that demands immediate police attention.
“Other local calls such as barking dogs, skunk reports, breakins that have already occurred, or cases of theft are calls that should be directed to the sherif’s office in Lyon County, DeBlieck said.
• Last week’s answer: Tami Schons and Pam Cooreman took over ownership of Tracy Floral and Greenhouse in July 1995.
