Update, 1:10 p.m.: All public safety phone lines are fully functional at this time.
Phone lines at Tippecanoe County’s public safety departments spent most of this morning running on a backup system to receive non-emergency calls.
West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis says a power outage at the county jail knocked out a phone server, and took down the non-emergency lines.
Tippecanoe County Sheriff Barry Richard says though the primary line went out, a secondary system took over for the administrative phones.
“Nobody needs to be alarmed or concerned about that – their calls are coming in O.K,” he says. “We’re able to receive those as well as the 911 calls.”
Richard says the county hopes to have the problem fixed and the primary system running by early afternoon.