HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Working on the front lines to ensure community safety and security can be tough. But, have you ever wondered what it's really like to work as an Huntsville Police Department dispatcher? FOX54 went behind the scenes at the Madison County Communications District/911 Center just in time for recruitment and breaks down the process!
Public Safety Communications Training Coordinator Amy Turner explained that police dispatchers are the first point of contact when someone has an emergency, and as you could imagine, that alone can come with its own set of challenges. "So we may be talking on the radio, answering the phone, talking to our coworker, trying to get more information. We take that information from the callers. we enter into our computer aided dispatch, our cad system, and then we send it over to the dispatchers and the dispatchers and the officers to where they need to go and who to who needs help."
In spite of all the chaos, Turner said it is truly like a family environment. "We're brothers and sisters. We fight like brothers and sisters. If you want to be in law enforcement or you want to have something to do with the police department, but you don't want to be the one on the street and the one out in the field, this is a great place."
Furthermore, full time dispatcher Elizabeth Holcomb breaks down what a day in the life is really like. "I work nights, so I come in at 6:20 p.m. I clock in, usually put my stuff down on a console and I log into the computer, usually grab a headset. It usually gets really busy between like eight and ten is usually like our peak hours for like second shift."
Furthermore, if you're looking to make a difference Holcomb continued that this could be your special opportunity because HPD is now accepting applications for police dispatchers until August 23. "They actually need to go online and they can fill out an application. There, if they have any questions, they can call our non-emergency line, which is 256- 722 - 7100. And it's option one. And they can ask any questions they need to."