The second week of April is recognized as National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week (NTW).  During this week, public safety telecommunicators from across the country are being honored and shown appreciation for their hard work and commitment to their profession and the communities they serve. 

Telecommunicator Week was first conceived in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California.  It was only recognized in that agency for three years until the early 1990s when the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials convinced Congress to create the “National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.”

The Dallas Police Department is very proud of our call takers and dispatchers who are often the lifeline between the community and the officers on the beat.  Last year alone, City of Dallas telecommunicators answered well over 2.1 million 911 calls for service and dispatched well over 600,000 calls to patrol officers.  They handle the pressures of the job with dedication and the utmost professionalism. The Dallas Police Department would like to say thank you to our amazing call takers and dispatchers with the following video tribute:

DB