KINGSTON, N.Y. — The Ulster County Department of Emergency Services has launched a therapy dog program to support public safety telecommunicators in the Division of Emergency Communications (911), county officials announced on Monday.
This initiative marks the first dedicated therapy dog program for a 911 call center in the state, according to a press release.
The Department of Public Safety is looking for input on a new report that suggests major changes to how Vermont handles emergency dispatch calls.
Lawmakers created the Public Safety Communications Task Force in 2023 to take a hard look at the state’s dispatch calling system, and the group released a draft version of its findings this month.
A 911 dispatcher told James Boone that police would respond after he expressed fear about his troubled adult son, who had stopped taking medication for mental illness.
“Ma’am, he’s threatening me,” the father said.
“Will you hurry up?”
An hour later, police had yet to be dispatched.
Then, Boone’s son, Kenneth, who made the initial 911 call, called back: “Hi I … killed my dad.”
A California Highway Patrol dispatcher allegedly used a law enforcement database to find a prison inmate’s personal ID information — using it to fraudulently obtain COVID jobless benefits as part of a larger $3.3 million fraud scheme involving four other people, prosecutors said.
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.
