In 1998 the city managers of DeSoto, Cedar Hill, and Duncanville came together to discuss the idea of pooling their public safety resources in an effort to reduce their operational costs. One idea that evolved was what we now know as the Southwest Regional Communications Center.A year later the Southwest Regional Communications Center opened for business and the grand adventure began. There are many reasons why this partnership has been a good idea for its members. One is that these cities are approximately the same size and share similar socioeconomic demographics. They also share similar philosophies regarding public safety service delivery.Another strong reason for this partnership is that each of these cities hold the distinction of being Home Rule cities. In 911 language a Home Rule city provides its citizens 911 services rather than passing this task to a political sub-division such as a 911 district.