NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT 31 Riverside Road, Riverside, IL 60546

12 April 2014
Contact:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sgt. Bill Gutschick
wgutschick@riverside.il.us

708.447.2127

Follow RPD on Twitter @pdriverside

National Telecommunicator Week!

Riverside Police Department, during National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, April 13-19, will recognize the dispatchers who work behind the scenes to answer calls for help each and every day of the year. Our 9-1-1 Dispatchers work all holidays and weekends and, because of that, sometimes must miss those special occasions with their families or friends. This, however, is their chosen field and they realize that will happen when they take on this vital telecommunication responsibility. But they are willing to do just that in order to help their fellow citizens and officers. Riverside has four full time and five part time Communications Officers and most times, there is only one single operator on duty who manages to masterfully handle both critical and more common calls as well as those that stop in the department for assistancesometimes simultaneously! Communications Officers/Dispatchers are rarely seen - but are the voice that calmly and professionally answers your 9-1-1 call and your non-emergency calls, too. It is common for these men and women to remain faceless and nameless to so many who depend upon their expertise. Simply put, they are a lifeline - not just for citizens in need, but for police officers, firefighters, and the paramedics who go out and respond to all the calls. With that said, now you know why it is so important and appropriate that all Dispatchers be publically recognized for what they do and how they manage to get it done! Riverside Police Department is honored to have, as part of our department, this fine group of talented and dedicated people. Our warmest thanks to Jean, Sheryl, Deana, Lynda, Mike, Lisa, Jim, Artie and Rosie. Though we may not often say it, you are far more appreciated than you will ever know! Thanks for always being there. Riverside Sergeant Bill Gutschick appreciates the often thankless role dispatchers play in emergency responses. We want to highlight our dispatchers and their service to the community, Gutschick said. They are as valued as our first responders, especially in emergencies. Without dispatchers, our officers would have far less information at hand when responding to a call. That information often saves lives.