HENDERSON, Ky. (April 08, 2018) — Telecommunicators at Kentucky State Police Post 16-Henderson in will be recognized along with more than 200,000 of their fellow communicators nationwide April 8-14 during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
These silent heroes behind the headsets are more than just a voice on the other end of the line. They often save lives on a daily basis.
“KSP telecommunicators are challenged on a daily basis dealing with stressful situations. Many of these situations involve life and death in which they are expected to handle these situations with compassion, empathy and professionalism,” says Captain Robert Shoultz, commander of KSP Post 16 in Henderson. “They must be at their best while dealing with people who may be at their worst. People don’t usually call them for help when they are having their best day. By the nature of the business, they deal with people who have been victimized or need medical assistance.
They may be threatening and belligerent, or in some cases, not able to communicate at all, other than dialing 911.”
“Telecommunicators provide a lifeline for the public as well as law enforcement and other emergency service professionals who rely on them for critical communications and information,” he adds.
KSP telecommunicators handle dispatch duties for Kentucky State Troopers, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers, Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers and other emergency service agencies. Their duties include calling wrecker services, notifying channels of administration, running license plate and driver’s license numbers, running criminal histories and notifying family members while continuing to answer new calls and handling other radio traffic.
KSP employs 187 telecommunicators at its 16 posts throughout the state. In 2017, they handled 519,474 calls. Post 16-Henderson has ten telecommunicators on staff who handle calls from a six-county area. Last year, they responded to 23,064 calls.
The Post 16 telecommunications team includes: Supervisor Bridget Stone of Owensboro; Shift Supervisor Blake Smith of Owensboro; Belinda Littrell of Henderson; Alexis McGee of Evansville; April Taylor of Nortonville; Matthew Estes of Evansville; Michelle Nunn of Henderson and Cara Littrell of Henderson; Kimberly Mays of Henderson and Eric Bruck of Evansville.
To watch a short video about KSP telecommunicators, click on or visit the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzGOaQDdXfw&feature=youtu.be or visit
www.kentuckystatepolice .org
For more information or to apply for a telecommunication position with KSP, log on to the state personnel website at www.personnel.ky.gov
The Kentucky State Police (KSP) is a law enforcement agency that prides itself on attracting the best individuals. KSP affords equal employment opportunity to all individuals, regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender or age. For a copy of the KSP Equal Employment Opportunity Plan, follow this link: http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/pdf/EEOP_Short_Form.pdf