|
APCO Announces 2008 Communictions Center Director PSAP Award Winner
Tacoma, Wash. Law Enforcement Support Agency Director Thomas Orr Named Communications Center Director of the Year by APCO International
June 3, 2008, Tacoma, WA - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today announced the 2008 Communications Center Director of the Year Public Safety Award Program (PSAP) award to be presented to Thomas J. Orr, director of the Law Enforcement Support Agency (LESA) in Tacoma, Wash., at the Opening General Session of the APCO International 74th Annual Conference and Exposition in Kansas City, Mo. on August 4.
LESA provides critical 9-1-1 communications, records and information technology services to 14 law enforcement agencies serving a critical geographic area and a diverse population of approximately 790,500 in the urban, suburban and rural areas of Pierce County, Wash.
Orr, who has been the director of LESA since 2005, is responsible for day-to-day operations of the agency including oversight of the Communications, Information Technology and Records Management Divisions. He is responsible for 165 employees and a biennial budget of $33 million. Before his appointment as LESA director, he served as the legal advisor to LESA for three years and has been a lawyer for 21 years with 10 years of service as a legal advisor and city attorney to police departments in Colorado and Washington, and 11 years of private practice. Prior to becoming an attorney, he served eight years as a police officer and police sergeant with the Seattle Police Department, including tours of duty in patrol, traffic, SWAT, and the Office of the Chief of Police.
"Under Director Orr's leadership, LESA has gained a reputation as a highly responsive organization not only to internal employee needs but also to being innovative and responsive to agency and citizen needs," LESA Assistant Director Diana Lock said in her nomination form.
In response to agency requests to free up police officers for major police events, Orr instituted a Citizen Online Reporting program. This web-based program allows citizens to file reports of minor crimes online, freeing up police officers for higher priority calls and proactive police work and resulting in a major improvement in LESA's call answering percentage. In addition, Orr developed an application to improve the ability of LESA agencies to deal with increased gang activity and also to improve officer awareness of safety risks. The OSCAR database has been very well received by
LESA's agencies and cited by them as an example for other agencies in the state to model.
"APCO International congratulates Thomas Orr on being named Communications Center Director of the Year," APCO International President Willis Carter said. "The work he has done at LESA is a great example of activities deserving of this great honor and the entire organization should be proud of his award."
The APCO International 74th Annual Conference and Exposition will be held August 3-7 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. For more information on the APCO International 74th Annual Conference and Exposition, visit www.apco2008.org. To obtain a press pass for the APCO International 74th Annual Conference and Exposition, please contact Courtney McCarron at (202) 833-9600 or mccarronc@apco911.org.
About APCO International
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world. |
