In 1991 congress approved a resolution dedicating the second week of April as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. On Monday, Mayor Steve Davis presented a proclamation honoring Poplar Bluff’s communications officers for their role in protecting their community.
“The City Council of the City of Poplar Bluff is always pleased to recognize those events which bring credit upon themselves and the community,” read Davis during the ceremony recognizing. He continued those in the telecommunications field were men and women “devoted to handling life-saving calls and requests for assistance.”
According to the proclamation, during 2022, communications officers answered 44,387 incoming calls, placed 18,053 outgoing calls and answered 13,247 emergency 911 calls.
“Telecommunicators are frontline contacts between citizens and the general public and are uniquely charged with the responsibility of maintaining citizen satisfaction and positive image of our city,” read Davis.
Public Safety Telecommunicators surveil the status of the fire, police and emergency service units, serving a crucial role in the “protection of life and property, the preservation of society and its laws and the provisions of municipal services.”
Chief Communications Officer Dave Williams took the opportunity to list the names of dispatchers with the Poplar Bluff Police Department being honored: Courtney Berry, Rachel Riley, Amy Burkhead, Tricia Thomas, Courtney Daughhetee and Taylor Harlow.
Davis went on to say he worked in telecommunication dispatch “years ago with the sheriff’s department for a handful of years, and it is so very important because the efficient, accurate, thorough, transfer of information is so vital to public safety.”
He ended by promising future support from the city, despite the failure of the recent use tax in the April 4 election. The use tax had a provision for hiring more communications officers.
“It’s so important and I wish things would have been different lately with our deal on the ballot where you guys could get more help, but one day. Thank you and we appreciate you,” said Davis.