ECB Monthly December 2021: Magazine Featuring Memphis' 911 Professionals

December 2021

ECB MONTHLY Official Publication of the MPD Emergency Communications Bureau

MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS BUREAU

ABOUT US We are one of the busiest 9-1-1 centers in the country.

We receive over 630,000 9-1-1 calls and more than 500,000 non-emergency calls each year.

ECB Monthly Mission This front-line led publication seeks to

The MPD Emergency Communications Bureau

inspire and motivate ECB telecommunicators by highlighting employee accomplishments.

(ECB) is the primary Public Safety Answering Point

The selected stories and content are

(PSAP) for the City of

shared with the intent to disseminate

Memphis; and the only provider of Law Enforcement

useful information about the Bureau, Memphis Police Department and the 9-1-1 industry as a whole.

dispatch services for the Memphis Police Department.

Furthermore, we aspire to increase transparency and communication

We consistently meet the national standard by answering 95.4% of our 9-1-1 calls in less than 20 seconds.

michael spencer emergency communications administrator

cerelyn davis chief of police, memphis police department

between management and the floor; and improve overall employee morale.

table of contents issue seventeen

04 FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DESK

MIKE SPENCER

06 retirement reflection

mark driffill

08 DISPATCHER OF THE MONTH

patricia wright

11 retirement reflection

mendi shull

15 retirement reflection

david cupples

14 brass visit

deputy chief paul wright

24 training updates

sean lovejoy

ECB Monthly Team: Chief Administrator Mike Spencer Editor-in-Chief Deranecque Rogers / Editor Erica May Contributor Sam Stamper /Contributor Linda Hollingsworth /Contributor Tiffany Whitaker

Eddie, Mendi, Mark and David: I wish you well in whatever you have decided to do upon

December Work Anniversaries 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 23 years

Teddrick Boyd Shamanda Davis LaTonya Goliday Brianna Thomas Khari Tukufu Brandy Pickett Treccia Burton

retiring. You all have been an experience to work with in ECB.

Dec. 7, 2020 Enjoy life to the fullest!

Dec. 7, 2020 - Tracy Williams Dec. 7, 2020

Dec. 7, 2020 Dec. 7, 2020 Dec. 10 Dec. 7, 2020 Shift holiday plans Bravo Shift will host" Dec 19, 1998 page 22-23 "Christmas in Italy"

ECB Family, The end of the year is here. I always heard people older than me talk about how fast the days and months fly by. Now I am one of those people who can’t believe this year is almost over. I am excited about this because it means we are closer to our goal. Interviews are in progress for the January class and the December, March and August classes are progressing well. Every major 9-1-1 Center in the Country is struggling with the same staffing challenges, but I can see the light at the end of our tunnel. I am proud of the efforts all of you have made and apologize for the extended hours and shifts.

2022 will hold a lot of new changes. We will be upgrading our CAD system. We will fully migrate to the new Radio System.

We are implementing a new citizen engagement solution (CUEHIT) that should reduce citizen call backs.

Hats off to the shift supervisors for putting together some out of the box ideas to reduce some mandatory overtime over Thanksgiving.

We will work to do something similar on Christmas day. I have talked to other agencies that have cancelled days off and cancelled vacation days to staff their operations. That has not been on the table for us, and I think we are over the hump of adversity. Thanks again to the trainers for training back-to-back and I appreciate all the new trainers for stepping up and stepping in to help shape and mold their co-workers.

To the first year employees, thanks for sticking in there with us. We will reach full staffing and we will return to a more balanced work/home life balance. This is our main goal and focus until full staffing is reached.

PAGE 4

FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DESK DEC. 2021

Mike's Message

NEW TIME KEEPING SYSTEM The City of Memphis is moving to a digital timeclock/payroll management solution.

The new Payroll Time Clock solution is called Kronos and that is the upgrade I am most excited about for all of you. You will have an app that will allow you to see all your benefit time. You will be able to request time off and schedule vacations through the app. You will be able to initiate swaps through the app. You will see all of you hours worked as soon as you punch out each day. It will be tied directly to the payroll system so that will eliminate the need for someone to enter information from one spreadsheet or system to another. It really should eliminate 95% of the errors and allow more transparency for every employee.

Vacation bidding can be completed in days, not months. Overtime can be projected out for years, instead of seven days at a time.

Deranecque, Margaret, Sean, Dewanda and I have been going through the workshops and training to explain all our workflows. This vendor works with a lot of public safety and 91-1 centers and there hasn’t been one thing we discussed that they said they couldn’t do.

Memphis Fire is implementing it first, but every other city division will follow. When you see how user friendly and accessible it is, you will be pleased. It is technology and will take some getting used to, but it is long overdue and needed.

RETIREMENTS It has been a long time since we have had a group retire. Eddie, Mendi, Mark and David will be missed. That is a lot of experience walking out the door, but we are lucky to witness all the contributions they have made to the Bureau, the police department and the City of Memphis. I wish them all the best and I am excited for them. Retirement seemed so far away when I started, but as I stated in the beginning of this article, time is going quicker and quicker. For those of you close to the finish line, hang in there. For those of you just beginning, enjoy the ride because it will begin to go faster and faster for you.

One of our goals for the Bureau next year is to get more people into outside training classes.

We will work to create committees that allow employee feedback and suggestions about the projects we tackle. Please look around everyday and think about how we can improve the Bureau. Be ready to step up and help implement new ideas and solutions. Once we reach a certain staffing level we can redirect our focus towards improvements instead of hiring and training. Thanks again for the work you do. You are the best Bureau in the City of Memphis. You work harder and are more dedicated than any group in city government.

You are the heart of public safety for this city and you make it look easy.

Keep up the good work.

- Mike

RETIREMENT REFLECTION

ECB HISTORY MOMENT

BY MARK DRIFFILL

My career began on February 21, 1994. I was 27 years old, had collar length dark brown hair, a 28-inch waist, and weighed 145 pounds. Now, almost 28 years later, I am 37 years old (my story, my math – deal with it), cut my hair, and put on just a little bit of weight.

Back then, the hiring process took almost a year. We would complete each testing phase and then wait for a letter in the mail advising if and when we would proceed to the next step. My typing test was done on an actual electric typewriter and the map test was done with a hand-held map book. Yes, times have definitely changed.

I was officially offered the job and sent to an orientation at City Hall on February 9, 1994. It was unusually warm and in the 70’s that day, and I remember wearing a short sleeved shirt and walking from one of the paid parking lots to City Hall, where we were ushered into a room and welcomed by Lt Robert Tate (he was over Communications at that time), who very firmly announced that we would be working nights, weekends, and holidays, that it would be approximately 10 years before we would get a day shift assignment, and we would only be off on Christmas if it fell on our day off, and if anyone could not handle that, then they were welcome to leave right then.

A couple of people actually walked out! That night, the Ice Storm of 1994 hit, and after experiencing some of the emergency events that we have had to work through, I am so glad I was not on the floor for that!

ECB HISTORY MOMENT

The computer system at that time operated in DOS and we could have two calls on our screen at once.

Every command was typed out in a lengthy syntax and there was only one small monitor. The system would crash regularly and we would have to quickly revert to a card system where everything was hand written (imagine being on the busiest radio on a Saturday night with 50 officers and dozens of cards in front of you to write everything on and keep organized). It was incredibly challenging, but believe it or not, it was fun!

The training during that era was vastly different as well. We had 30 days to be released on the phones, and I was released on the radio during my fourth month. There were no quizzes or exams and it was basically trial by fire. We were constantly reminded that our names were written in pencil and could easily be erased during our year of probation. But back then this was more than just a job, it was a calling and a career choice for most of us, and we were willing to put forth the effort to secure our position. We certainly have a kinder, friendlier, and much more forgiving training program now, albeit demanding, structured, and thorough. We are also fortunate to have some extremely capable and wonderful trainers.

Throughout my career, I have been a CTO, a Union rep, and Alternate TAC. As a CTO, It is extremely rewarding to know that I played a role in helping someone at the beginning of their journey, and I must say, with no disrespect to anyone that I may have trained, that my favorite trainee was Julia Robinson. Without even realizing it, she would encourage me as a trainer while I was encouraging her as a trainee. She was definitely a dream to work with.

As a Union rep, I have truly enjoyed giving my all to make sure the employees of the ECB had every possible advantage and benefit that we could get for them. I know that when times are as hard as they are now on the floor, it is difficult to see what all has been gained, but for those who were here when we did not have a Union, there has definitely been a lot achieved. Mendi Shull has done an incredible job at the helm, and it has been an honor working beside her and with an amazing group including Pat Wright, Julia Robinson, Melanie Stephens, LaTausha Blair, and all the Union Stewards.Your Negotiations Team has had to do some pretty creative thinking over the years, but we are definitely leaving you with the best possible MOU we could provide.

MY TYPING TEST WAS DONE ON AN ELECTRIC TYPEWRITER AND THE MAP TEST WAS DONE WITH A HANDHELD MAP BOOK. -MARK

As Alternate TAC, it has been beyond rewarding to know that I have helped to identify and resolve so many important issues. Building relationships with those at TBI and working to make sure our department is not only in compliance, but is also a shining example has been the highlight of my career. I cannot express enough how incredible it has been working with Rosalind Phillips and being part of her team. There is still a lot to do, and I have no doubt that she will far exceed expectation! Future audits be warned!

PAGE 6

Mark's Parting Words I WISH YOU ALL THE VERY BEST AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS YOU WILL BE ACCOMPLISHING OVER THE YEARS TO COME! To those taking over the Union

To Management

To My Fellow Dispatchers

Always be respectful. Keep in mind that the people you are ridiculing are the same people you are negotiating with.

Know when to fight with everything you have, know when to acquiesce, and know when to be humble and fall on your sword. It is not our side versus their side, it is about what is right and fair. Expect the same from your members as you do from Management

Remember where you came from. Keep your decisions consistent across the board. Be that safe zone that employees can truly feel and believe that they can come to and confide in. Separate the personal from the professional. Don’t expect anything from anyone that you are not willing to give of yourself. Stop following - Rise above and be a leader.

You all have so much to offer and everyone can learn and grow by your example. Be that amazing example that you have inside you!

Love one another. Build each other up.

Embrace and welcome your differences.

If someone is struggling, help them.

Know that we all have areas where we excel and areas where we fall short, and we can balance each other out. You are all in this together, so come together.

Each and every one of you bring something amazing to the table. You are the lifeline of this department. It needs you and you need each other. If you are one of the bullies (and you know who you are), then stop it! Image the difference you could make if you used that energy to make a positive impact on someone.

wisdom

Always remember that you do not have to like someone to be good to them. Kindness is in no way weakness. Having true compassion, care, and concern for others is a strength and a gift.

There is nothing “fake” about it.

Work Memories

Patricia Wright, RPL Patrica Wright has worked in Communications 22 years. She is a senior trainer, a peer counselor and union steward. She also hold the RPL (Registered Public Safety Leader) certification.

Training for me personally was not a problem. Lorna is the only one of my CTOs still here. She trained me while I was on Bravo and she was not a problem. She just called us all "ROOKIES". However, some of my classmates told me that they were terrified when they learned that they would be training with certain CTOs. I listened to their horror stories and knew that if I became a trainer, I would treat the new employees with respect and dignity.

My most memorable call is when a lady called and just started screaming right when I answered the phone. It took several minutes for me to calm her down. She was so hysterical and kept saying, "No, no,no!" She walked in and found her 16 year-old son molesting her 4 year-old son. That broke my heart.

I love the old time NTCW when we ate daily, had a freezer filled with many ice cream flavors that was placed in the middle of the floor at 201 Poplar. We had fun, laughed a lot and could get a day off at the drop of the hat.

Before Covid I would hang out with Guriece, Cassie, KO ,Treccia and TDOT. I even went to Hawaii with Tondra. We don't hang out as much any more. I have lots and lots of friends at work. The younger group such as Andrea, Alex and Jaz keep me hip and on my toes. I love working Alpha shift. Our supervisors ROCK!!

We all get along and have fun more especially around the holidays.

My advice to the newer employee that seek to be successful in this role is always follow your P&P, be positive and treat others like you would want to be treated (callers and co-workers)!!!

I love training more especially when I get someone that is eager to learn, has a pleasant attitude and really wants the job. The most challenging part is when I've done all I can do as far as training, but the person just can't cut the mustard. I had one lady recently that really, really wanted the job, pleasant attitude but she just could not grasp it. I am dedicated, never quit or gave up on training. I try to make training fun but also serious. - Pat Wright

Eddie Heaston

David Cupples Mendi Shull

Mark Driffill

Lorna Griggs was there.

Most of the call-taker “positions” consisted of a computer and telephone that were set up next to each other on six-foot folding tables.

Our chairs didn’t roll.

There were approximately five call-takers per shift daily, including a white-haired, older lady who was designated as the “wrecker operator” because she only knew how to answer the phones.

There were a total of five radio consoles and the dispatchers often played UNO with each other to make the time go by faster.

The computer system, such as it was, went down A LOT, and we often had to write the calls down, look up the ward in the map-book and manually deliver it to the dispatchers.

There were five in my new hire class (of which Eddie Heaston and I are the only ones left) Our training consisted of five days in the training room learning the phonetic alphabet, how to tell military time, and what DOS commands to use on the computer.

Retirement Reflection

By Mendi Shull

We were handed a P & P for the Memphis Police Department, a CAD technical manual that was definitely thicker than the P & P and a map book which, for those of you who were born

As my retirement date happily approaches, I

after Al Gore invented the internet, is like

was asked to reflect a bit about my time in

Google Maps in book form.

the bureau. To be honest, I thought it would

At the completion of those five days, we

be an easier task than it has been. Having

were sent out on the floor and placed

served as a PRD, CTO, CTS, CAD Technician

with seasoned dispatchers (whether they

and Department Rep over the last 29 years,

liked it or not) who were capable of

the task of summarizing those experiences

showing us the ropes.

into a few short paragraphs is somewhat

There was no official training program,

easier said than done. I was hired on

no official training officers, no tests or

February 15, 1992 at the end of a two-year

daily reports, just that feeling of being

hiring freeze. To give you an idea of what

cast into the deep end where you hoped

things were like all of those years ago, here

you learned to swim before you could

are some fun facts.

sink.

Many Hats: Trainer, CAD-Tech, Union Rep I was released in about four months and can still remember the exact moment when the proverbial light bulb went on for me while I was working the radio. After that, the rest was in the rear-view mirror, and I never looked back. It was a few years before they decided to implement an actual training program, and as I had a love for teaching, I decided to become a trainer. It became a very meaningful aspect of my career, and I’m blessed to have trained persons from each class, as both a CTO and a CTS, from then until I left the floor to become a CAD Technician in 2016. I know that I will always consider my service as a trainer to be one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable roles of my career. However, of all the different hats different I have worn, I am most proud of my service as the department representative for our union.

I am honored to have been allowed to serve you in that capacity for the last 16 years and am proud that our group has come so far since we unionized 17 years ago. Through those many years, our negotiating teams have fought hard to achieve as much as possible for the bureau. This past year was no exception, and it felt good being able to finally secure some things, such as the new education incentive, that had been previously out of reach. I would be remiss if I did not mention the hard work of the current negotiating team, Mark Driffill, Pat Wright, Melanie Stephens and Julia Robinson, as well as the dedication of the shift stewards and all others who volunteered to help in whatever way was needed. We couldn’t have make the same progress throughout the years without your support and loyalty. It’s truly bittersweet to be leaving the helm after so long, but I am confident that whoever you choose to take the reins will be successful with your support.

Of all the hats I have worn in my career, I am most proud of my service as the department representative for our union—Mendi Finally, I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked as a CAD Technician for the final five years of my career. It has been challenging at times, but an overall incredible experience that I wouldn’t change any aspect of. I am so happy to have worked with and for my dear friend, Dewanda Montague (aka, Best Boss Ever) as well as my team-mates, David Cupples (one of the smartest “old-school” tech guys I’ve ever known) and James Coughlin. It was truly a pleasure.

As I’m sure everyone is at this point in their life, I am truly looking forward to my retirement. For me, it holds the promise of finally being able to do some of the things that I love such as sleeping late EVERY DAY, travelling on a whim, reading books, writing books (hopefully), planting a garden and just living life on my own time for a change.

Mendi Motivates In closing, I’ll leave you with a few things that I have learned throughout the years.

1. First, stick with it! Your job is more than just a “job”. It’s a career. What you do is incredibly important, and you truly make a difference. Even when things are bad, and you feel unappreciated and overworked, remember that if you are able to persevere, the reward will be worth it in the end.

2. Pick your battles. Always know in advance which hills are worth dying on.

3. Know your P & P and your MOU inside and out! Never forget to take care of your union and your MOU, because without them, the things you take for granted may quickly disappear.

4. Always do your best to be a good employee, but never at the expense of your mental or physical health.

5. Deferred Compensation is your friend. Open an account and start saving. It’s never too late.

6. Always be kind, even when you don’t feel like it. You never know the trials that someone else might be going through.

7. Be a good friend to others as well as to yourself. Learn how to accept help when it’s offered.

8. Finally, always remember that it is you who define your career, not the career that defines you.

I will forever be honored to say that I have worked with the very best, hardest working and overall most "Bad A$$" group of dispatchers on this planet. You guys are amazing, and I wish you all the best.

"You define your career. Your career doesn't define you." - Mendi

BRASS VISIT I had an opportunity to visit several Police Dispatchers at MPD Communications. The conversations were very informative and helped me identify several issues that will be shared with the uniform patrol commanders.

Dispatchers are truly the lifeline of law enforcement. They prove this daily by answering the calls of those in need. They seek the best from our officers and they want the best response time for the caller who requires the service. The dispatchers I spoke with during my visit were professionals and care about providing quality service to the community. - Deputy Chief Wright

Deputy Chief Paul Wright Visits Communications

DECEMBER 2021 ECB MONTHLY

David Cupples

Retirement Reflection

David "At a Glance" Sept 1970: began working at The Commercial Appeal

1976: Learned radio programming

June 1981: married Renita

SECOND RETIREMENT

By David Cupples I am officially retiring from Memphis Police Emergency Communications Bureau December 20, 2021.

September 26, 1970, I began working at the age of 14 on Saturday nights at The Commercial Appeal on a crew putting together the Sunday newspaper by hand. I worked from 8:30 pm Saturday night until about 3:00 am on Sunday mornings – sometimes longer depending on the size of the paper, which used to get pretty large

1987: earned private pilot's license

May 2008: began working at MPD Communications June 2008: retired from The Commercial Appeal

back in those days. I rose through the ranks to become an apprentice mailer, journeyman mailer, assistant foreman, foreman and packaging department manager overseeing more than 125 full and part time employees. I worked at the CA from September 1970 until I left in June 2008, with nearly 38 years of service. My father (Pop), Gene Cupples also worked in the same department as Head mechanic until he retired in 1998.

I also ran a direct mail service – DCMS - for several years. Clients were Rhodes

May 2015: Awarded Dispatcher of the Month November 2016: began working as a CAD-Tech

College, St. Mary’s School, Wolf Camera and Video, Papa John’s Pizza, several political campaigns and others. I could see the writing on the wall for the decline of newspaper circulation due to the internet and other trends in advertising and decided I needed to change careers while I was still young enough to do so. My brother Mark Cupples who is now an EMS LT with Memphis Fire was an MPD Dispatcher for about 10 years. I told him I felt led to become a dispatcher and he assured me that I could handle the career even at “my age”. Not long after that discussion, an ad came out in the newspaper for MPD dispatcher trainees. I applied in April of 2007 and the process took a little over a year from application to job offer.

December 2021: Retired from MPD Communications

DECEMBER 2021

ISSUE SEVENTEEN

WORK MEMORIES I was lucky enough to meet Memphis Grizzly Zach Randolph when he came dispatch at 201 Poplar one day for a tour. There were several incidents that occurred while I was on duty that I will never forget, four of the more memorable being a triple shooting at Green Brook Apartments and the line of duty deaths of Officers Tim Warren, Sean Bolton and Verdell Smith. I, like most dispatchers, have worked incidents that I will never forget and am reminded of by something on the news or an event of the same type. Imagination is a great thing but also something that dispatchers deal with every day.

You hear what is going on and form pictures of the scene in your mind, good and bad. I have heard people take their last breath, shots being fired at officers and I have worked as dispatcher for the Tact team on barricades. I

MPD BEGINNINGS I began my second career with MPD Communications on May 26th 2008 at Tillman Station training to be a dispatcher at 51 years of age (which is about the age most officers and dispatchers are getting close to retirement). There were seven in my class. I was the only male. Only

worked North Main radio one July 4th on Charlie shift and it was non stop chaos for the full 4 hours. I received a positive OBR for being able to keep up with everything that was going on (with a lot of praying in between). I was honored as Dispatcher of the Month in May 2015.

one of my classmates, Claudia Dorsey, is still with MPD. We came to the dispatch floor at 201 Poplar in August 2008. I started training on Charlie shift with CTO Tina Eddington then went to Alpha with CTO Darron Garrett and finally Bravo shift with CTO Lorna Griggs. Lorna just LOVED it when a chase would break out. One day I was working Old Allen radio (now Austin Peay) and 2 chases broke out about the same time. She was sitting on the spare radio position listening to me and just started laughing and saying “go David go, go, go”. She was about to go on vacation for the entire month of December when I was about ready to be released as a dispatcher. I needed to work Old Allen and Appling Farms to be released. I asked her if I could work them both the same day so she could be the one to release me and she agreed. I was released as a dispatcher that day. Being a male dispatcher is a challenge because I was bad about letting some things my wife would say go in one ear and out the other. Training as a dispatcher ruined that because you learn to listen to EVERYTHING.

FAITH AT WORK I am a Christian and as I dealt with life and death situations, I

Many times I shared my faith and my question would be

could only think of the eternal destination of those who were

“have you thought about what is on the other side of this

passing on and how sad it was especially for younger

life?” I would share with them that they may get themselves

individuals. Many times I spoke with someone contemplating

into a horrible situation that they could never escape. Many

suicide. I would always try to tell them that they could make

said they had never thought about that. I can only remember

it through their problems which were temporary but they

a few times that someone disconnected the line with me

would never come back from taking their life.

before officers could get to them. It was always a “Praise the Lord, thank you Jesus” moment for me when I could hear the officers on the phone in the background.

I lost some good friends during my time at MPD – PRD’s Katie

I appreciate Mike and Dewanda giving me the opportunity to work as a

Montgomery, Karen Dickey, Paula Hagood, Rachel Weise and Vivian

CAD Tech. Dewanda has been a great manager to work with. If I was

Williams. I always enjoyed talking with them, sharing our faith,

having issues with some type of software, all she had to do most of the

blessings and problems and anything else we could find to talk about.

time was come stand behind me and it would magically start working!

Paula was the sister I never had. She always tried to look out for me

She really has a wealth of knowledge about CAD, computers and

and help me any way she could. We sat next to each other while taking

software and has helped us all out with more issues than we can

calls many many times.

count. She might be mad at you but you could never tell because she is always smiling! Mike is very tech savvy and is a major reason that

I became a CAD Tech in November 2016 when the position came open

our dispatch centers are always up on current technology and state of

due to my interest in computer technology and electronics. My dad

the art.

(Pop) was a radio operator/electronic warfare airman in the Air Force during the Korean conflict and he got me interested in Ham Radio and electronics as a young child. I still hold a Ham License – WB4ZNN that I earned in 1976. I also hold a Private Pilot license that I earned in 1987 which was inspired by Pop’s love of airplanes.

I bought my first computer, a Radio Shack TRS-80 and learned how to program with basic language in 1976. I have taken a couple of classes in Visual Basic and Microsoft Access also in the last few years. I have enjoyed being part of the CAD Team. I was tasked with monthly reports for precincts and various PIO requests for reports from news media and FOIA’s as well as troubleshooting issues with software and computer equipment. While James Coughlin was working at Flicker to help get it ready for everyone to move over from 201 Poplar, Mendi Shull and I held down the fort there and we also came to Flicker occasionally to do some prep work. Mendi and I went back to 201 Poplar last year for a couple of months after the remodeling of the dispatch floor to re-install CAD Computers, run network cable and try to get everything working again. I supervised the larger Dell monitor installations at Flicker and 201 Poplar and I also worked with Gary Blinckman of the radio shop and Courtney Jackson of ICI to wire the multi-color light stacks. PRDs Shonna Plant and Dana Massey (Bedside Baptist – you will have to ask her about that moniker) call me “Cable Guy” or “CG” for short because they have seen me install so much Dell monitor cable.

My wife Renita and I married on June 5th 1981. We dated for about 7 Years before that. I first saw her when I was playing basketball for my church. She was there to meet someone else – imagine that! She has been there for me through some rough times with work issues, career changes and life events good and bad. She worked for Shelby County Schools from 1991 to 2015, starting at Oak Elementary and then going to Bolton High School as Attendance Operator. She also helped me when I was running the mailing service. We celebrated our 40th anniversary this year and I’m looking forward too many more wonderful years with her. She gave me a some “side eye” when I started talking about retiring at the end of this year but I think……. she has gotten used to the idea of me being around the house more often.

We have 2 married sons, Josh (Kim) and Drew (Kristin), 2 grandsons, Cameron and Landon and 3 granddaughters, Leah, Annabell and Kaylee. We take a family vacation each year and try to make it at the beach although the recent hurricanes in the last few years have thrown us a few curve balls. We also have Josh’s friends Jon and Amanda Phelps and their son Jack (whom we have adopted as our own) who go with us each year.

I believe God has always put me where He could use me or He has used me where I have landed. He has blessed me with and a wonderful wife, family and two great careers.

I have enjoyed working at MPD Emergency Communications Bureau. I have worked with and learned from some of the finest dispatchers in the world – rock solid when everything was going south quickly but also very kind and compassionate. The true “calming voices in the storm” for officers and citizens. I have also had the privilege of serving the citizens of Memphis and being a dispatcher for the some of the best officers anywhere.

I would not trade this last 13.594086 years (officially per the City) experience for anything and wish MPD Emergency Communications Bureau administration and dispatchers the very best for the future.

Tribute Manager Eddie Heaston

I will remember Eddie as my "Favorite CTO". You always had to have paper, something to write with and your map book, no exceptions. He always pushed me to do better and even turned his back on me when I was working a very busy radio and said that I could clean it up by myself (meaning the backed up call log and handle the heavy radio traffic too). I was so mad at him but 15 minutes later he looked at my screen and said LAUGHING, "I knew you could do it, Rookie! Now keep going". I was proud of myself, sweating and still mad at Eddie Heaston, but just for a few minutes. He made it fun and would never get upset with you. If you did something that was Communication's funny and noteworthy, everybody knew about it! Thank you Eddie and enjoy your much deserved retirement. You will be missed. - Regina Webster

Monetta 'This is How We Do It' Hampton Bravo knows they have a few "go to" persons when it comes to organizing a celebration.

But when it comes to doing it and doing it big, there's only 1. That one is Monetta Hampton. When she plans, she plans big. When she sets it up, she sets is up even bigger.

To add to this, she always shares and allows others to join in the festivities often times without payment. (I always pay even when she refuses my money.)

The rum cake was a hit!

October & November Celebrations

SPRD Towles & Our Buddy Tarsha!

Everybody eats!

Happy Retirement!

A Charlie Shift Christmas ACTIVITY LEADERS December 10- The Fellas of Charlie Shift December 12- Kalesha Nelson December 14 - ERCOs December 17 - Shift Seniors (Julia, Linda, LaQuange) December 23-24 Manager Rogers December 24 - Supervisors/2640

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pizza, wings, sports trivia

12ugly

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christmas sweater contest

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14murder

murder mystery: mystery: who " who killed killed santa ? santa?"

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let's make a deal game

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HOT CHOCOLATE & PASTRies

23 APPETIZErs

24 Secret Santa 25 Gift Exchange

dinner provided by 2640

Alpha Shift's " 9 Days of Christmas " Games Dec 10-24

Dec. 15 Family Feud

Dec. 10 Christmas in Japan party & Secret Santa Gift Exchange Dec. 16 Christmas Music Trivia

Dec. 20 Christmas Breakfast

Dec. 24 Christmas Cookies, Juice & Ice Cream

TRAINING UPDATES with

Manager Sean Lovejoy

MAKING IT WORK

I have conversations with PSAP Training Managers from all over the country. It always amazes them that a center of our size has a 100%

Greetings from the Training Team !

Can you believe it’s already December?

2021 has certainly been a challenging year for all

volunteer-based training program.

of us and I want to personally thank each of you

Great job to everyone that is

for your dedication, your compassion, and your

involved in this effort!

professionalism throughout the year. We’ve been saying for months now that “Help is on the way”.

As you can hopefully see, help is no longer on the way, help is here! We currently have 32 PRDTs from 3 different classes in some phase of training. 6 are already released as dispatchers and are contributing to the overall staffing numbers as we speak. In the coming weeks, we hope to have 3 or 4 more PRDTs fully released as dispatchers as well. Additionally, several PRDTs from the August 30th class are either already released, or close to being released as calltakers. These milestones may seem insignificant to some, but they are critically important to our continued efforts to re-build our staffing numbers in the Bureau. I want to commend all our trainers for their selfless service and their persistence in doing this important work. I have conversations with PSAP Training Managers from all over the Country and it always amazes them that a center

Sean Lovejoy ENP, RPL ECB Training Manager

of our size has a 100% volunteer-based Training Program. Great job to everyone that is involved in this effort!

I want to also give an update on our

Lastly, I want to take a moment to

current hiring efforts. Our next class is

congratulate our retiring employees, Mendi

scheduled to start January 17th, 2022. We

Shull, Mark Driffill, and David Cupples. They

are projecting to hire 30+ employees in this group, which should put us over the top. This should be the LAST large group we need to hire. That has been said before, but this time, we have some additional tools to make sure it holds true.

will be taking 71 years of combined service with them, and that will be difficult to replace.

I have had the pleasure of working closely with Mendi during Union negotiations over the last few years. While we haven’t always agreed, we always came to the table with a

As some of you may know, we are now

position of mutual respect and

accepting applications for Police Radio

understanding that we both wanted what’s

Dispatcher continuously. This means the

best for the Bureau. Because of that

process is open year-round. No more waiting for months to apply. No more 6 months between classes. One of the many benefits of a continuous application process is we now will have a steady stream of applicants, always ready to start

understanding, I feel like we made great progress. I will certainly miss those friendly battles. Mark was also a part of those same negotiations, but I want to especially thank him for the contributions he made to improving the TAC office over the last 2 years. The many hours he worked to correct,

work in a short period of time. We will be

implement, or improve our NCIC operations

positioned to hire much smaller groups

are greatly appreciated. I will miss the daily

every 6-8 weeks as needed. As attrition

conversations and the numerous (mostly

occurs, we will be able to fill those slots

corny ) jokes. David proved himself to be a

immediately and always stay ahead of the

jack of all trades. From his DIY fixing of

curve.

push-to-talks, to repairing chairs or other miscellaneous items, he always seemed to have a solution when stuff broke. We will certainly miss our resident Bob Villa. I wish the three of them the very best in all their future endeavors, and I pray they get to enjoy their retirement healthy and happy for a very long time.

-Sean

page 25

COAT DRIVE Thanks to everyone who supported me in the "Coats for Kids" Drive. With your help, I was able to deliver 33 NEW coats to the Hickory Hill Community Center.

- Cassandra Berry

family

pictures

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my co-workers.

- Anita Merriweather

And then there was one David with his classmate Claudia.

I'll still see you at the house Eddie and his daughter, Andrea.

More Tributes When I started as a dispatcher in May 1998, Eddie Heaston was one of my trainers. I had a chance to listen to him dispatch and his flow was so smooth that all I could think about was " I'm in big trouble because this dude is no joke." I was so nervous training that the bottom of my chair felt like a heating pad when we got up for break. If I needed to get up and Eddie took over the radio, he would look back and ask, " Linda, Why is this chair hot?" Most times my response was, " Because I'm under pressure." We both got a good laugh out of it. Eddie was an incredible and very valuable trainer. I'm so grateful for his encouragement and constant motivation that helped push me through the process. He was stern, but at the same time he inspired me to strive for excellence in dispatching. I truly enjoyed and appreciated the times he would loosen up and laugh every once in a while. Any time he began with the words, " Now Linda...", I knew I was about to be corrected about something. The great part was that it never felt personal because he was the same with everyone.

Eddie, I've learned so much from you over the years. Thank you for your time, support and most of all your patience. Congratulations on your retirement.

- Linda Hollingsworth

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Back in the Day: Mendi and Mark work wreckers and service desk back at CJC.