South Sound 911’s public counter will eliminate Monday business hours and extend Saturday service hours, effective Nov. 18. The changes will allow staff to deal with increased workloads stemming from state and federal changes which took effect on July 1, such as Initiative 1639.
Beginning Nov. 18, the public counter’s new business hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with fingerprinting services ending at 3 p.m. The public counter will be closed Sundays, Mondays, and holidays.
Saturday business hours, which began in March 2017, have proven popular for customers who work or attend school during the traditional work week. South Sound 911 recognized the importance of maintaining this access; however, returning to a five-day business week will allow staff to work on incoming background checks associated with firearm transactions and concealed pistol licensing.
Prior to the July 1 changes, South Sound 911 was already one of the highest volume concealed pistol license (CPL) and pistol transfer application (PTA) processing agents in the state. South Sound 911’s Records department, which operates the public counter, processed nearly 20,000 CPL applications and over 26,000 PTAs last year on behalf of its law enforcement partners — with volumes historically increasing even before the new legislation.
South Sound 911’s public counter is located at 945 Tacoma Ave. S. in Tacoma. The agency also operates two 911 centers — dedicated law enforcement and fire/EMS communications centers — and an administrative headquarters, in addition to the Records department. Business hours for other services remain unchanged.