Well a dispatch has once again been attacked in the supposed safety for the dispatch center. Thank god this time the dispatcher was not killed but once again it brings up the issue of safety and security in the dispatch center.
A few months ago a dispatcher was killed by a suspect that was being booked in the very next room. This time someone was able to just walk right in and beat this dispatcher.
Do not be fooled just because these incidents happened down south. I have been to a lot of dispatch centers in Mass and other parts of the state and trust me it can happen in a lot of them.
Here is the article about the latest incident.
911 Dispatcher Back At Work Following Attack
Officials Mull Ways To Boost Security
POSTED: 10:32 p.m. CDT August 27, 2003
UPDATED: 10:41 p.m. CDT August 27, 2003
HEAVENER, Okla. -- A Heavener emergency dispatcher is recovering from a beating that authorities said she received while on the job.
The female dispatcher was allegedly beaten by a man who entered the building through an unlocked door that led to the dispatch center.
The victim is back on the job, although the suspect is still at large, authorities said.
The sheriff of the facility said he is trying to secure federal funds to pay for additional video cameras to provide surveillance of the dispatch facility. "I'm afraid for my people if they don't have the proper security system," the sheriff said.
Donna Howe, a LeFlore County 911 dispatcher, says she worries about safety on the job.
"It scared the daylights out of you because you figure that if you are in the dispatch area, you should be safe, and then something like that happens and it makes you realize that maybe you are not as safe as you thought you were," she said.
Heavener Police Chief Mike Wendall said he is looking at ways to increase security at the dispatch center.
A few months ago a dispatcher was killed by a suspect that was being booked in the very next room. This time someone was able to just walk right in and beat this dispatcher.
Do not be fooled just because these incidents happened down south. I have been to a lot of dispatch centers in Mass and other parts of the state and trust me it can happen in a lot of them.
Here is the article about the latest incident.
911 Dispatcher Back At Work Following Attack
Officials Mull Ways To Boost Security
POSTED: 10:32 p.m. CDT August 27, 2003
UPDATED: 10:41 p.m. CDT August 27, 2003
HEAVENER, Okla. -- A Heavener emergency dispatcher is recovering from a beating that authorities said she received while on the job.
The female dispatcher was allegedly beaten by a man who entered the building through an unlocked door that led to the dispatch center.
The victim is back on the job, although the suspect is still at large, authorities said.
The sheriff of the facility said he is trying to secure federal funds to pay for additional video cameras to provide surveillance of the dispatch facility. "I'm afraid for my people if they don't have the proper security system," the sheriff said.
Donna Howe, a LeFlore County 911 dispatcher, says she worries about safety on the job.
"It scared the daylights out of you because you figure that if you are in the dispatch area, you should be safe, and then something like that happens and it makes you realize that maybe you are not as safe as you thought you were," she said.
Heavener Police Chief Mike Wendall said he is looking at ways to increase security at the dispatch center.
