MONROE — The reliance of 911 was interrupted by a construction crew May 22 when workers struck all of the lines the Green County Sheriff’s Office needs to operate, like internet and phone connections, while working on 6th Street. 

Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said the crew was replacing water lines when it severed the connections. The most notable shift for the sheriff’s office was a lack of 911 service. Skatrud, who was in training in Madison at the time of the outage, said his employees worked swiftly and diligently to handle the problem despite likely not knowing why phones and internet were suddenly inoperable. 

“Our staff did get moving quickly,” he said. “They identified it and worked toward a solution. … They weathered the storm, so to speak.”

TDS was contacted and within minutes, the 911 service was switched over to two separate lines. The information was distributed via social media and the emergency contact service Nixle to ensure as many people knew about the change as possible. 

A cooperation between the sheriff’s office and police department helped ensure a county dispatcher could receive calls. 

“The Monroe Police Department was kind enough to allow our dispatchers to move down there,” Skatrud said. 

Service was lost around 9 a.m., he added, with lines fully restored around 6 p.m. Though he was unsure of an exact number, Skatrud said his office likely receives “dozens of calls” within a typical day, mostly for medical emergencies. Others can be in the event of a car accident or domestic disputes.

Skatrud said all systems are currently operational and does not foresee any issues with the system.