[Scan-DC] Mont Co/Delaware releases on National Public Safety Telecommunications Week

[Alan Henney]

DEPARTMENT OF POLICE
MEDIA SERVICES DIVISION
2350 RESEARCH BOULEVARD
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND   20850-3294
240-773-5030


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          FOR MORE INFORMATION:
April 9, 2007 Media Services Division, 240-773-5030

Montgomery County Police Honor
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week
April 8 – 14, 2007

 The second week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve
as Public Safety Telecommunicators.  The purpose is to honor and
recognize 911 call takers and dispatchers for the unique and important
role that they play in public safety.  This year, National
Telecommunicators Week began Sunday, April 8, and runs through
Saturday, April 14.

 Citizens in Montgomery County dial 911 for emergencies and
301-279-8000 for non-emergencies.  The calls cover any number of
situations and concerns, in which help is needed quickly.  These calls
are answered and dispatched by members of the Montgomery County Police
Department’s Public Safety ad Communications Center (PSCC) staff.
Both police and Montgomery County Fire/Rescue Service call takers
handle this important task together.  The Montgomery Police PSCC
personnel complete a full year of classroom and on-the-job training
for these highly technical positions.  Call takers and dispatchers
must be proficient with computer technology and police procedures, in
addition to being able to calmly and confidently deal with people in
critical situations.

 Montgomery County Police PSCC personnel are often the first of the
first sresponders that the public has contact with during an
emergency.  In 2006, the PSCC handled 857,735 telephone calls; of
those calls, 246,277 were dispatched.  The balance of calls was able
to be handled in-house or they were duplications of previous calls.

 Brian Melby became the Director of the MCP Communications Division on
October 16, 2006.  Ms. Mary Beth Nolan Taylor had stepped in to serve
as the Acting Director for almost a year after the resignation of
previous Director Stephen Souder in October of 2005.  Ms. Taylor is
retiring at the end of this month after 22 years of dedicated service
to the Communications Division.

 Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger takes great pride in
the work of the PSCC staff.  He stated, “Day in and day out the men
and women who work at our PSCC are providing superior service to our
community.  When you dial 911 in Montgomery County you will get a
highly trained, highly dedicated individual on the phone.  I am so
proud of the work they do, and the lives that have been saved by their
actions during this past year.”

KRC/LEHB:lehb                                            ###




Delaware State Police
News Release
Master Corporal Jeffry C. Oldham
http://www.state.de.us/dsp/pio/newsroom.htm.


National Public Safety Telecommunications Week

Dover- On Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 10 a.m. emergency
telecommunications personnel from Delaware, Maryland and the District
of Columbia will meet at the Elks Lodge on Salisbury Road in Dover to
celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.  As part of
this celebration, an awards ceremony will be held to honor recipients
of various awards in the communications field.

The Mid-Eastern Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety
Communications Officials (APCO) International holds this annual awards
banquet to call attention to those that work in the emergency
communications field.  These employees are truly the first response to
a citizen’s call for help or assistance in an emergency.
April 8-14 is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, and has
been observed each year since 1991.

Every day, citizens depend on the skill, expertise and commitment of
the men and women who work in public safety telecommunications. These
individuals help save countless lives by professionally handling
emergency calls, dispatching first responders, ensuring radio
equipment is at peak performance and providing moral support to
citizens in distress.

By officially recognizing these public safety telecommunications
professionals, APCO hopes to awaken public awareness of the vital job
these employees perform.

DATE:  Thursday, April 12, 2007

TIME:  10 a.m. – award presentations begin at 10:15

LOCATION:  Elks Lodge Salisbury Road Dover, DE

Contact:  William D. Carrow, Communications Section Chief at 659-2340
(office) prior to April 12.
Released Monday, April 09, 2007