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APCO Announces 2008 Telecommunicator PSAP Award Winner
Stafford County (Va.) Sheriff's Office Communications Officer Karen Roy Named Telecommunicator of the Year by APCO International
June 3, 2008, Stafford, Va. - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today announced the 2008 Telecommunicator of the Year Public Safety Award Program (PSAP) award to be presented to Karen Roy, communications officer at the Stafford County (Va.) Sheriff's Office, at the Opening General Session of the APCO International 74th Annual Conference and Exposition in Kansas City, Mo. on August 4.
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office serves the approximate 121,000 citizens of the county with emergency call taking and dispatching not only for the Sheriff's Office, but also for the Stafford County Fire-EMS Department with a total call volume of over 410,000 calls per year.
Roy has been with Stafford County since 2004 and is responsible for receiving, classifying, and processing emergency calls for service from over 50 telephone lines. She also simultaneously dispatches calls for service for the Stafford County Sheriff's Office via a radio communications system, documents all call and radio unit information, and assists with division cross training for other radio operators.
"She reacts to the needs of the public safety user agency members decisively, confidently, and in an expeditious manner as to even astound some of the users themselves with the level of skill and expertise she possesses," Stafford County Sheriff's Office Emergency Communications Division Assistant Operations Manager Karen L. Hileman said of Roy. "She strives to empower and refine her peers not by reverberating written policy and procedure but by just striving daily to be the best that she can be and never settling for mediocrity or falling complacent in her responsibilities."
Roy was recently honored when her colleagues bestowed upon her the responsibility of paying homage to Deputy Jason Mooney, who was killed in a motor vehicle accident while on duty and communicating via radio with Roy at the time of his accident, by conducting the Last Call over the radio at his graveside and marking him off duty his final time.
"APCO International congratulates Karen Roy on being named Telecommunicator of the Year," APCO International President Willis Carter said. "The work she has done in Stafford County is a great example of activities deserving of this great honor and the entire department 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. |
