ARLINGTON, OH — Below dozens of state-of-the-art monitors in the UA police division’s dispatching center sits an old, ’70s-style push-button telephone. While the screens constantly update computer-generated maps and pass along information to patrol officers, the city’s dispatchers keep a constant eye on the old phone.

WARNER ROBINS, GA — Twelve cubicles are hugged together in a large room just off Carl Vinson Parkway. Each is labeled with a gold nameplate of a public safety agency and houses an operator calmly fielding several emergency dispatches before a collage of computer screens.

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA — It was a December night three years ago when the phone rang in the radio room after 3 a.m. “I think there’s somebody in the house upstairs,” a terrified man whispered.

OGDEN, UT — It was the worst possible scenario, but Erica Engstrom kept her cool amid the chaos unfolding more than a mile away on a darkened Ogden street.

SEVIERVILLE, TN — Being an emergency dispatcher ranks among the most stressful jobs anywhere.

CLEVELAND, OH — The tiny suburb of Walton Hills spends $319,000 a year to have its own emergency dispatchers answering phones — or $510 for each 9-1-1 call.

VERO BEACH, FL — They say a dog is man’s best friend, and there’s a dog in Vero Beach who’s living proof.