| Communications
| Communications Supervisor: |
Carolyn Sharp |
| Public Safety Dispatchers: |
Davita Willis
Greg Seymour
Brianne Dreisbach
Kristin Edwards
Melissa Dawes-Bailey
Naomi Stiles
Amanda Smith
Melanie Large |
| Records Division Clerk: |
Ron McDowell |
Communications
The Communication Division was restructured in 2000. The division now employs eight (8) full-time employees and one part-time employee.
Communications is the heart of any emergency response agency. The Pickerington Police Communications Division provides operator and emergency dispatching service for both the City of Pickerington and Violet Township. Coordination and communication with other agencies is a vital everyday occurrence.
The radio dispatching service in the new facility is second to none and was built to continue to provide excellent communication services with other agencies.
Calls and Service
During 2006 the total number of dispatched calls for service and 9-1-1 service runs was
25,056. 9-1-1 alone accounted for 5,234 calls for service.
Emergency Medical Dispatching
Senate Bill 5 was introduced in 1999 setting educational standards in relation to minimum training requirements and certification for emergency response dispatchers. The bill would require that all emergency dispatchers receive a minimum of 32 hours of rigorous and demanding training in related subjects, and that personnel maintain certification by successfully completing at least twenty-four hours of continuing education during a two year period. Training Instructor certification was awarded to two employees in 2000, Chief Dispatcher Carolyn Sharp and Don Searls. Having both Sharp and Searls as training instructors has already saved thousands of dollars in training costs. During 2001, all police dispatchers were certified as Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD) in compliance with Senate Bill 5. At this time, the Pickerington Police Department is the only emergency medical dispatching agency in Fairfield County and only one of a few in the Columbus Metropolitan area with this unique and impressive certification.
Dispatching and Data Entry
In addition to their everyday responsibilities in emergency medical dispatching, Communications personnel also serve as deputy clerks of court, receptionists, clerical support, filing, and as records clerks. All organizational reports, court information, and in-coming activity is processed by dispatchers. Technicians handle the collection, review, storage, and distribution of all police and accident reports, citations, affidavits, charges, warrants, and departmental arrest journals.
Records
Carolyn Sharp, Communications Supervisor, is the department’s Custodian of Records. She is responsible for insuring that the department adheres to its retention schedule and must be familiar with the ever changing Ohio Public Records Laws to protect the rights of the public, the department, as well as those of the individual.
Records Management
The department upgraded its records management system in 2000. A new comprehensive system was installed to streamline the data entry for personnel matters, reporting, calls for service, and tracking and correlating crime trends. This new records management system reduced the number of different types of software the department had been using to track like and similar information. The software will allow the department to expand its records management and dispatching services in the near future.
Productivity Standards
|
Activity |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Reports Processed |
2,194 |
2,299 |
2,246 |
|
Fire / EMS Runs |
3,717 |
1,914 |
0 |
|
Police Runs |
19,937 |
25,056 |
28,427 |
|
CAD Entries and Response |
23,654 |
25,737 |
30,089 |
|
9-1-1 Calls |
6,706 |
5,234 |
7,260 |
|
Fingerprint Processing |
1099 |
1,264 |
1,650 |
|
Tobacco Permits Issued |
12 |
12 |
14 |
|
