The Frederick Police Department is celebrating the second full week of April (April 10-16) as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. This week, sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and celebrated annually, honors the thousands of men and women who respond to emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to the world’s citizens.
Recent events have highlighted the work of telecommunications professionals at FPD. On Friday, February 11th, 2022, every public safety telecommunicator’s largest fear happened, hearing their own on the radio asking for help after being attacked and seriously injured in the line of duty. Their calm and decisive action allowed for a full multi-agency response to the scene and ensured the proper care and safety of the officers and the suspect. Throughout the year, the men and women of the Frederick Police Department’s Communications Section answer the calls of the Frederick community and their own police family to help in any way they can. Whether they are handling tasks such as talking to a resident in crisis, assisting officers in locating a missing person, calming a child asking for help or simply connecting our residents to the resources they need, our telecommunicators respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to answer the call and get resources where they need to be to save lives, protect property, and make Frederick a better place for all to live, work and play.
“Our dispatchers might be out of sight, but they are never out of mind,” Chief of Police Jason Lando said. “They are the unsung heroes that answer countless emergency calls, provide a calm and reassuring voice to those in crisis, and help our police officers, firefighters, and EMS workers arrive safely at the scene. We could not do our jobs in the community if it weren't for the men and women on the other side of the radio. For that, we owe them a debt of gratitude. Please join me in recognizing their great work not just this week, but all throughout the year."