A 911 dispatcher was credited with de-escalating a situation involving an armed man on March 1.
Jennifer Hawkins received the Distinguished Service Award from Sheriff Mike Allen after successfully talking an armed man into surrendering to deputies.
A bill heading to the Illinois House floor could require all 9-1-1 dispatchers to be trained on telecommunicator CPR.
Rep. Lisa Davis (D-Chicago) said Thursday that instructions and guidance from dispatchers could mean the difference between life and death for someone experiencing a medical emergency.
Denver’s public safety agency is pushing to roughly double the fee for 911 emergency services, arguing it’s necessary to keep operations afloat and meet response time requirements.
The proposed fee hike — from $1.20 to $2.12 per month — would apply to all residents who have a phone, whether landline or mobile, registered in the city.
Text of the bill—S.725, the “Enhancing First Response Act”—was not available on www.congress.gov at the time of this posting, but a press release posted on Klobuchar’s website states the bill would update the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) of 911 dispatchers from “clerical workers” to “protective service workers.” In addition, it would require the FCC to take the following actions:
Hunter began her career in 1985, when the police station was still housed in the historic Carnegie Library building on Broadway. At the time, the department’s communication system was rudimentary compared to today’s standards, relying on a push-button 911 phone connected to a cassette recorder and just four radio channels. Dispatchers operated with minimal computerization, relying on handwritten logs and time clocks to track calls and officer movements.
