ISP Celebrates Its Communications Officers In Meridian and Coeur d'Alene During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE
Teresa Baker
Public Information Officer
Headquarters
700 S. Stratford Dr., Meridian 83642
(208) 884-7122
Fax (208) 884-7087

For Immediate Release: 4/14/16 at 3:30 p.m.

MERIDIAN - The Idaho State Police are celebrating the dedication of its Public Safety Communications Officers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 10th to the 16th, at its two Regional Communications Centers.

"This is one of our favorite weeks of the year as it is an opportunity to thank our colleagues in dispatch for their dedication in serving the public. Without our dispatchers, ISP would not be able to provide the level of service we provide," said Idaho State Police Statewide Communications Lt. Kevin Haight. "Our dispatchers are the front-line employees in public safety. Their voice is the public's first interaction with another human being when they need help. Our dispatchers are dedicated to our citizens, our troopers and other emergency service personnel with continual, tenacious, compassionate and exceptional service."

The celebration also recognizes the technicians that maintain radio and emergency phone systems, communications staff trainers, communications center personnel, and other public safety telecommunications staff across the country who also work tirelessly behind the scenes to help the public during emergencies.

The Idaho State Police's two Regional Communications Centers provide service to all of Idaho and a lifeline to its officers working alone in the rural parts of the state with backup often an hour or more away. Together, the two centers handled 222,482 calls for service in fiscal year 2015.

The Regional Communications Center North (RCCN) is located in Coeur d'Alene, currently employs 13 communications officers responsible for ISP's two northern districts which include 10 counties and 6,211 road miles.

The Regional Communications Center South (RCCS) is located in Meridian, currently employs 26 communications officers responsible for the four districts in the central and southern parts of the state. These districts include 34 counties south of Adams, Valley, Custer and Lemhi counties and the 20,956 road miles in those counties.

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week started in 1981 by just one agency in California. The idea spread across the nation until Congress first gave it national recognition in 1991. Since then it has been celebrated the second full week in April every year.

Idaho's Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter issued a proclamation April 10th recognizing Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Idaho in honor of all city, county and state public safety communications professionals whose diligence and professionalism keeps our state and its citizens safe.


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