ECB Monthly JUNE 2021: MAGAZINE CELEBRATING MEMPHIS' 9-1-1 PROFESSIONALS

JUNE 2021

“The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family.” ―Reed Markham

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 james ryall director of police services

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

4 6 8 12 18 21 26

Father's Day Tribute

25 27 29 30

Father's Day Observation

34 32 35

Father's Day Observation

From the Administrator's Desk History Moment

Lindsay Spencer Mike Spencer Deranecque Rogers

Employee of the Month

Lawana Stamps

Feature Story " My Dad is a Hero" Andrea Heaston Police Memorial Week Photos

Jameta Young

Home Sweet Home

Jillian Graham

New Co-Worker Alert

Kenneth Owens Jaliyah Malone

Professional Development In Memory of Officer Triplett

Amped Up Spotlight Editor's Notes

ECB MONTHLY TEAM

Karen Ollie Micheale Currin Sam Stamper Patricia Wright Sam Stamper

Chief Administrator: Michael Spencer Editor-in-Chief, Deraneque Rogers Acting Editor, Erica May Contributor, Sam Stamper

From the Administrator's Wife's Desk

Michael

From working hard every day to support our family, to making sure you never miss an opportunity to be there for our kids, we appreciate all you do! Thanks for being the fun dad who is always up for a game of Mario with Chloe and the supportive dad who would never miss one of Christian’s band competitions. They are lucky to have you! Hope your Father’s Day is awesome like you!

Lindsay Spencer

Thank you ECB family for the job that you do. I don’t have to tell you that it is a challenging but rewarding job.

However, as we get closer to summer, many of the challenges feel like they outweigh the rewards. Just remember that no one receives help during an emergency without hearing you say, “Memphis 911, do you need Police, Fire Department or an Ambulance?” These next couple of Months will be challenging but we can do it. We have trainees on the floor and a new class on the horizon. You will see supervisors, managers and myself stepping up to help when we can. We have the most important job in this city and we will continue to provide and improve our life saving services even as call volume rises.

CAD UPGRADE We have been working with our CAD vendor on the next upgrade. We went live with Hexagons I/Dispatcher almost 5 years ago. At that time we were the first in the country to deploy it. Now as we close in on the end of that hardware’s life cycle we are turning towards the future. I am excited about what I have seen so far, but we will need a lot of feedback from you that using the CAD platform each day. We are looking at their new “On Call” hosted platform. Covid has taught me that we need to be ready to work through any kind of conditions.

As we look at hosted solutions the long term plan is to prepare for the day when some employees may be able to work from home or a more convenient remote location. Now there are a lot of logistics that go into it, but the benefits of scaling up our emergency call-takers during peak volume is worth the discussion. The first step to this vision is standing up a CAD and phone system that can be securely accessible from a computer outside of our network.

PAGE 6

FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DESK

RADIO PROJECT ON TRACK

QUIET ROOM

Two of the three new radio towers are

The chairs in that room have not held

complete and functional. The third

up to the 24/7 use they endured.

tower is expected to be completed in

Please look out for some surveys and

the next 30-45 days. Once the last

requests for suggestions about what

tower is done they will begin

chairs will go in there next. I am

migrating some of the public safety

looking for something less technical,

channels over to the new

easier to keep clean and comfortable.

network/microwave system. During

Fewer moving parts means less to fix.

that time we will begin ingesting the

But ultimately that space is for you

location meta data that will come with

guys to go and decompress so you

each radio transmission. I am excited

should have the final say so. If you

about the prospect and improvements

come across chairs for that room

for officer safety that it will bring. As

please get information about them

a dispatcher one of the most stressful

and share it with me. We will send it

situations is trying to understand

back out for everyone to review.

where an officer is at when they are in trouble. This new system will

Thanks again for the job that you do.

eliminate that challenge. If you can

Be kind to your co-workers. Keep

hear them, the radio will be sending a

your officers safe. Be that comforting

location with the transmission. We

voice to your callers. Be thankful and

will stress the training that we all

count your blessings regularly. YOU

learned. I know some veteran

ARE 911!

employees will undoubtedly comment about how much harder the job was

Congratulations Margaret Stiger and

when they started. But we have to

Jameta Young on your recent

move forward. We have to remove all

promotions. Both of you will do great!

of the roadblocks that make this job

Help take our ECB to the next level.

more difficult than it has to be. The responsibility and the critical nature of the job are enough. We will work with our vendor partners to make improvements where we can.

- Mike

Central Precinct was also used

ECB/MPD HISTORY MOMENT THe old central precinct

by Deranecque Rogers

as a storage site for old personnel files. So the radio room was full of boxes piled up to the ceiling. There were holes in the walls and in the ceiling. But what I remember most is that the building was infested with rats and roaches.

- Marvin Pender

Did you know that our current location used to be a precinct? Yes, the ECB was formerly known as the Central Precinct when I started in 2001. In addition to it housing one of the cages similar to what you would see on Law & Order, it was also the dispatch back-up site. My dispatch class would come to the Central precinct to practice our call-taking and radio skills. We utilized a small room with tables and chairs and phones and CB style radios spaced along the walls. Now, I don't have the clearest picture in my head, but when I say it was not the most ideal working space, it was NOT. The air in the room was stale and stuffy. The lighting was dim. The corners and turns were tight. We had to walk up a set of dusty, musty stairs to get to the room for practice. I remember the dust because I sneezed a lot. On a brighter side, the officers were nice and cordial. We would of course utilize and crowd out their small break room and restrooms. They didn't seem to mind the sharing their space. They congratulated us and shared a few dos and don'ts. We actually got along pretty well with our officers.

I half-way remember the radio room at the old Central precinct. We called it the back-up site. The best comparison I have for it is a card board box or a small, narrow closet with CB radios, outdated furniture, no windows, lots of cords and wires, and darkness. There were storages boxes, old computer monitors, and a school desk or two. We made it work in spite of. As always, when it came down to using what we had to get the job done, we got the job done.

In 2003, Tillman Station (on Tillman street) was built for the officers. Unfortunately, we continued to utilize the former precinct as our back-up site for a few more years.

I can't recall too much more detail about the Flicker location of before, but I can say the current Emergency Communications Bureau is a thousand times better than what it once was. And our backup site at 201 Poplar will be even greater.

EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME

by The Healthy Dispatcher The following is an excerpt from the book, Dispatcher Stress: 50 Lessons on Beating the Burnout

Burnout is caused by long-term stress

If you want to change the Outcomes, you

driven by a large gap between your

have to change your Responses.

expectations and realities. This often creates the illusion that you don't have a

There is no way around that. Successful

choice anymore.

people get what they want because they pay close attention to their Responses,

You've been making so many judgements

because they know their Responses drive

from a place of being totally stressed out

their Outcomes.

that you think it's either normal or out of your control.

In the quote below, Viktor Frankl essentially is saying you should draw out

When you're clear about your beliefs,

your response time to events.

values, priorities, and whether you're driven by an internal or external locus of

When you draw out your response time,

control, you'll have a much better idea how

you can formulate a more thoughtful

to respond to things that happen around

response rather than acting

you.

instantaneously. You can then improve your responses.

Whether you realize it or not, you get to choose how you respond to each and every event that happens.

Events themselves are value neutral. They just " are." It's the way you see events that gives them their meaning. Much of your

" Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor Frankl

stress comes from your judgement of events that happen. Much of your stress is driven by what you choose to believe.

And then this stress strongly influences the way you see events and the way you react to them. See how this becomes a neverending loop?

The basic equation to summarize this is E+R=O. What outcomes are you getting?

Are you living the life you want?

Takeaway: You can change your Outcomes in life by changing your Responses to the Events around you.

your photo here

Editor-in-Chief Deranecque Rogers

Editor Open

Contributor Erica May

Contributor Sam Stamper

your photo here

your photo here

Contributor Open

Photographer Open

Are You our next Editor?

Next month will be our twelfth issue, which means we have been successfully producing a quality publication for one year.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has shared their story, expertise and opinion. It is because of YOU the ECB monthly has been great. I hope you have been enlightened, entertained and inspired by the awesomeness of your co-workers. The magazine also would not have been this successful without the support of our leader, Mike Spencer. Mike has never missed a submission. All of his articles have been quality and have set the tone for the professionalism and legitimacy of each issue. He has always been willing to contribute pictures and data for whatever it is we were trying to achieve for that month.

We average 500 views of the magazine monthly. We never intended for this to be viewed outside of our agency but because of your compelling stories, other agencies, other departments and our family members enjoy reading too. They have reached out to us about our stories - your stories - to share with their 9-1-1 centers. Yes, that's right, we are the cream of the crop!

The mission of this magazine stipulates that the ECB Monthly is a front-line led publication. Since our current editor has been promoted, we are looking for a new floor editor.

Our vision is that the editor will change yearly, and the Editor-in-Chief will change every two or three years. But we need some more people to step up.

The floor editor is responsible for the overall direction of each issue.

The editor finds the content (stories) and writes them. If you have ideas about what your co-workers should know, this is a prime opportunity to tell it to them. Each issue should have content that is educational, informative, entertaining, motivating and inspiring. And we are going to start enforcing a 35 maximum page limit.

The editor must have vision planning skills excellent time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines exceptional follow up and follow through skills to check in with your co-workers on their submissions decent writing skills As far as the software and the structure of the magazine, those are things we can teach you. Additionally, if any supervisor of manager is thinking about becoming the next Editor-in-Chief, I would love for you to shadow me. It's easy work if you have a dedicated floor team. Seriously, get you an Erica, Nikkita or Sam and this venture will be nothing but fun.

This magazine has not hit its peak. We are believing the next editor can have our monthly views in the thousands!

Next month is our 12th issue!

YAY! One year of celebrating Memphis 9-1-1. Stay tuned for an exciting, fun and informative issue. We have an interview with the M.E's office, a reader contest and more. You won't want to miss it!

LAWANA STAMPS DISPATCHER OF THE MONTH JUNE 2021 • ISSUE ELEVEN • ECB MONTHLY

Stay positive, know your policy and procedure and don't take work home with you.- L. Stamps

ADVICE TO CO-WORKERS PRD Lawana Stamps has worked in Communications for fourteen years. She was named Dispatcher of the Month for April due to her leadership in planning and coordinating activities for National Telecommunicators Week. In 2015, she was named Dispatcher of the Year. Lawana has two teenage sons, John, 19, and Jayron, 17.

Whenever I go and speak to a new class, I always urge them to keep a positive mindset due to the nature of the job. I can never stress enough the importance of knowing and following your policy and procedures. Learn to leave work at work. Don't bring the job home with you. You have to have a life outside of dispatch. I love music, candles, I enjoy walking, and for me sometimes I play penny slots.

How was training for you?

Training was extremely rigorous.

It was a lot of information to retain. However I am thankful for all of the wisdom and knowledge I received from my CTO's (Yalanda Matthews & Willie Mae Flood).

What is your favorite part of the job?

I like being apart of anything that can boost morale in the Bureau.

What is the most challenging part of the job?

Coming to work giving my all, being a team player and still feeling underappreciated.

Tell us about your most memorable call.

My most memorable call is when I received a phase one hang call with the male threatening to shoot his wife and himself. I'll never forget the children pleading with their father not to shoot their mother.

Unfortunately he shot her and himself in front of them, she died on the scene and he survived.

Dispatcher of the Month Spotlight Lawana Stamps If you could change one thing about our job what would it be?

I would give Memphis Animal Shelter duties back to the MAS employees. We were hired for Police Communications so therefore we don't know MAS protocol. I just think it is a huge liability for the department. We're not the ones being compensated for it.

What are some of the changes you have seen from the time you started until now ?

There are definitely a lot of changes. For example, when I started you either displayed that you could perform the job or you were sent home. Now it seems there is more leniency for the new hires. They are even given uniforms before it is determined that they will make it out of training.

Do you have any family members that work for MPD or the City of Memphis?

My cousin Satobia Ivory-Godinez works with the CIty Court Clerks office and my other cousin works in Comstat. My aunt Roberta Ivory is the Commander of Communications for Shelby County FIre Department. She has been there for 26 years.

What are you most looking forward to in the future?

In the future I am hoping for change. We have made some progress as a bureau but there are still a lot of areas that need improving. We need in-service, morale has plummeted to an all time low, last but not least we need some consistency and transparency in the workplace. I wish dispatch had other positions we could be temporary assigned to when employees become burned out. I'm also excited about the new Police Chief/Director. I hope she brings new ideas and energy to the department. I can't wait until she stops by and visits The ECB.

Great Ideas!

In reference to training, dispatchers are made to do a ride along with an officer for his or her tour of duty. I understand why that is needed.

However what I don't understand is why they don't make the officers work a full shift in dispatch prior to them graduating the Police Academy. When they come and visit most times we aren't even busy. It just might give some of them a profound respect for their dispatchers.

Lawana with her sons, John & Jayron

"It's hard to believe they were ages 4 and 6 when I started my dispatch journey!"

COWORKERS < FRIENDS "I hang out with Nzinga Withers, Erica Morris, LaQuange Watkins, and Stacy Redeemer. These ladies help keep me grounded. We take turns hosting girls night out at each others house. Before Covid-19 we traveled the world together."

source: thedispatchlab.com

This issue is dedicated to our ECB Dads, men that are dedicated public safety servants. We appreciate all you do for your families, our work place and the City of Memphis.

Enjoy your day!

Darron Garrett Eddie Heaston Xan Minor Marvin Pender Jeremiah King

Sean Lovejoy

Mike Spencer Kenneth Owens Sam Stamper

FATHER'S DAY FEATURE

Father/Daughter Duo MANAGER EDDIE & PRD ANDREA HEASTON When Andrea was just three years old, her father Eddie Heaston began his career with Memphis Police Communications. Five years ago, following the advice of her father, Andrea joined him. Eddie Heaston is now a manager and Andrea is a dispatcher who is enjoying her 9-1-1 career as well as working with her dad.

"My Dad is a Hero" PRD Andrea Heaston

THE HEASTONS

More from PRD Andrea Heaston on what is like growing up with a Dad that works in 9-1-1 and how it feels having her father double as her manager.

My father has always been there when I needed him, and I appreciate all he’s done for me over the years. Dad has waited for me on the parking lot after school while I hung out with my friends --even after working a long day in 9-1-1. He put me through college. He purchased my first car. He’s shown me how to use a lawnmower, and we’ve worked on many projects-putting together bookshelves and tv stands, etc. I’ve always been able to call him no matter what scrapes I’ve gotten myself into, whether it was a car accident, or I needed help changing a flat tire.

I think he doesn’t know how to be anything but a hero. A 9-1-1 Hero, a Navy Hero ---a "whatever you need him to be" Hero.

That’s my Pops and I wouldn’t trade him for anything.

ENCOURAGEMENT My dad would always keep me informed on when the dispatch position was available and encouraged me to apply.

The first time he told me, I believe was a year or two after I came back from college. At the time I was working for the postal service, Monday through Friday with holidays and weekends off. It was a definite NO then. The second time the job came open I was 25 years old. I was ready to experience living on my own, but needed to make a little more money to support myself. I’d gotten as far as I could in my job at the time. I figured why not? I knew what the job entailed because dad had been here for as long as I could remember. I wasn’t 100% sold on sacrificing my free time but I was ready to transition to something else and this seemed to be the best option.

SERVICE Helping people seems to be the family business. There are a lot of preachers and teachers in my family. My dad and I are the dispatchers. I went to school to be a teacher and somehow, I ended up here. Being able to be there for someone in critical moments and send them help when they need it is the most rewarding part of this job. You can’t just come here for the money because you’ll get burned out. I feel like you have to truly want to help people. That’s what I like best about it.

WORK GOALS For his 25 year work anniversary, I got him a plaque and a cake and presented it to him in roll call, just to mark the occasion. He’d been looking forward to hitting his 25 years and I thought I had to do something to mark the date for him and Mendi (Shull)too.

As of now, I plan on sticking it out for the full 25 years too. I really don’t see myself going anywhere else. It’s not an easy job, but it’s my job.

Working Together Keeps the Family Bond Strong It’s not bad working with him. We don’t really work directly together so it’s not weird. It’s cool because if I have a particularly stressful day at work, he understands better than anyone outside of here because he’s done it much longer than I have. Growing up, I always thought it was funny how my dad never really liked to talk to people for long or didn’t like phone conversations. He always wanted you to get to the point. After working this job, I COMPLETELY understand. I can’t do it either. There’s a level of patience you lose, with long-winded people. I also understand the need for personal space and just needing to be alone. You have to have time to destress from this place.

Positives: I like that I get to see him a couple of days a week and he can drop off my mail to me.

When you move out of your parent’s house and get your own space and your own responsibilities, you don’t see them as much. But working in the same building I still see my Pops multiple times a week. It keeps the family bond strong. Also, I get to see a different side of him in his work environment. He’s actually kind of funny. Another benefit is if I get undrafted and I’m in a sleep coma, Dad can make sure I get the message. When I was off work due to surgery, my dad was able to keep me in the loop for NTW week and relay the well wishes from my coworkers.

Challenges: I guess the main challenge is developing my own individual identity. There are people here who knew me before I ever met them. Most people also don’t use my actual name. I’m either Lil Heaston, Lil E, Lil Eddie, or just plain Eddie. It’s ok though. I figured that would be the case before I walked in the door. It’s like being a Jr., which coincidently my dad is. But when the person you’re being compared to is as hard of a worker and as professional as my dad, it’s an honor to be “lil” them.

May 15, 2021: SPRD Jameta Young snapped beautiful photographs of Bravo shift wearing Class A uniforms during Police Memorial Week.

When it comes to a man's health, recognizing and preventing health problems isn't just an issue for men. A man's health impacts their wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters. It impacts their entire family, friends and community.

JUNE IS

Men's Health Month

Men are far less likely than women to seek treatment for issues such as depression, substance abuse, and stressful life events. According to Mental Health America, this is due to:

social “norms” a reluctance to talk downplaying their symptoms

When it comes to health, we primarily think of our physical health. There is more to health than what we see on the outside. There's mental health, emotional health, spiritual health, and a few others.

A National Health Interview Survey reports that just 1 in 3 men took medication for daily feelings of depression or anxiety, while just 1 in 4 spoke to a mental health professional.

Men’s issues can develop from different causes and triggers than those that affect women.

The signs and symptoms of a mental health condition will depend on the type, but there are some symptoms that people can look out for. These include:

For example, men’s issues often stem from societal expectations and traditional gender roles, which may lead men to think that they must:

be the breadwinners in the family display traditional “masculine” traits, such as strength and control rely on oneself and not seek help from others not speak openly about their emotions Holding on to these traditional beliefs can negatively impact men’s mental health and keep them from accessing support and treatment.

aggressiveness, anger, and irritability changes in mood or energy levels changes in appetite or sleeping habits difficulty focusing feeling restless or “on edge” a high consumption of alcohol inappropriate use of drugs participating in risky activities feeling sad, hopeless, numb, or emotionally “flat” having aches, pains, or other physical symptoms without a clear cause obsessive or compulsive thoughts or behaviors thinking or acting in a way that causes concern to others or has a negative impact on work, social, or family life thinking about or attempting suicide If a person notices these symptoms in themselves or if a loved one spots them, it is a good idea to seek medical help.

Although many men are reluctant to seek and continue treatment for mental health issues, it is a vital step in recovery. With effective treatment, people can learn to manage their symptoms and begin to feel better.

Treating mental health issues in the early stages can often prevent the symptoms from becoming more severe and lower the risk of complications.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mens-mental-health#men-and-mental-health

Charlie Shift PRD Kenneth Owens with his three children; Keilan, 7, Kaiser, 1 & Kylan, 1

JUNE 2021

ISSUE ELEVEN

HOME SWEET HOME

BY JILLIAN GRAHAM

After being a police dispatcher for five years, I got the opportunity to transfer to the Memphis Fire Department as a fire alarm operator.

The training was very intense. You have to learn each fire station's address, phone number and what pieces of equipment are stationed there. I learned how to code calls and properly conduct an interview in ABC order. Even though I thought I would enjoy the medical side, MPD is where my heart is. Eight months later I have returned back on the other side. I now have a better

There are more than 50 fire stations in Memphis. Fire alarm operators have to know each fire station's address, phone number and what pieces of equipment are stationed there.

understanding of why MFD asks some of the questions they ask during their interview. I have done CPR several times over the phone and even delivered two babies!

That's an awesome experience I will never forget. Nevertheless, MPD Communications is more than a job, it's like a second family. I'm looking forward to the family's growth. I'm happy to be back home.

new co-worker alert

welcome to Communications PRDT JALIYAH MALONE Start Date : March 1, 2021 Hometown : Memphis, TN MESSAGE TO NEW HIRES Although this job is demanding, it is also rewarding. You are an asset to the Emergency Communications Bureau and to the City of Memphis. We are here for you during the overwhelming times that you are most likely to experience as a trainee. YOU ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE. The Training Coordinator, CTSs, CTOs, Supervisors, and Managers will answer any questions you may have before, during and after your training. We welcome you and thank you in advance for your hard work and dedication. -SPRD M. Stiger FROM ECA MIKE SPENCER "Even if you are not a trainer, each new employee we hire is your co-worker. If they succeed and make it through probation, that puts you one person closer to that shift bid you want or that Christmas vacation you hope to bid for. You can help by being encouraging or just sharing a story of challenges you had when you were training. Being supportive and helpful is simple."

What inspired you to apply for the dispatch position ?

I’ve always wanted to have a career where I help people in their time of need, and this seemed like a great job opportunity to do something like that.

What do you think of the training program so far?

Training is stressful, but I also feel more and more prepared each day to take on my job responsibilities. I really feel like everything that Margaret Stiger has taught me in the classroom has helped build a strong foundation for my training.

What is your favorite part of the job? Least favorite?

My favorite part about the job is feeling as if, at the end of the day, I helped someone in their time of need. This can be a thankless job, but it can also be a job to where you feel as if you make a difference in someone’s life each and every day. My least favorite part of the job is sometimes not being able to know what happened. We’re the first point of contact for people who have the emergencies, but we can also be the same people who never get to know how the story ends.

What is the most challenging part of training ?

The trial and error process of everything. You’re going to mess up at first, it is inevitable. That’s very challenging for me because I’m a perfectionist, and with this job you will never feel 100% ready at first.

What have you learned that has been an eye opener for you?

IHow much that actually goes into dispatching and taking emergency calls. Learning the CAD system and Vesta, and how that initial point of contact is started.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not at work?

Honestly, catching up on sleep, reading my favorite books, exercising, and watching my favorite 911 dispatcher tv show. I know, who wants to watch a show about their job when they’re off from their job??!?

NEW CALLTAKERS

The Training Team at Work

Manager Stiger, CTS Pat Wright, and CTO Tiffany Grandberry work with trainees on Alpha Shift.

Some of them should be released soon!

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT with Karen Ollie PRD Karen Ollie gives a review of the " Expecting the Unexpected" class and talks about what she would like to learn about in future trainings.

Expecting the Unexpected Instructor: Dough Showalter with California Highway Patrol My main takeaway from this class is we need to be prepared daily to perform our jobs. We should plan ahead when possible and use all available resources. The instructor was very informative and used several videos to support his points.

I did not have a favorite part of the presentation, but there were useful suggestions that could be beneficial in our daily performance, such as " watching what we say" and " reassuring the caller". He also suggested dispatchers participate in " ride-a-longs" annually and visit other agencies ( "sit withs") to see how they handle things.

Awaiting In-Service On a separate note, I am looking forward to us bringing back in-service.

We could benefit from the opportunity to review updates to policy and procedures.

When we had the pandemic last year, we were introduced to new call times, such as " Safer at Home". On Alpha shift, we rarely received these calls so when we drafted to come in on Charlie shift or stay over on Bravo, we did not know what to do.

I know an email was distributed and the policy was located in Power DMS, but that is not a substitute for training. It's information but not training. As individuals, we perceive things differently.

Another issue we are dealing with now is the wrecker log. Not with the actual log, but with wrecker companies not accepting pulls. It very frustrating and time consuming. It seems as if the changes impact dispatchers and not the wrecker companies. We have to write each pull over and over and spend time calling the companies. I know these concerns have been previously expressed to management.

Inservice would also be a good chance to inquire about equipment delays. It still takes too long for us to log on to the CAD and dispatch positions need to be fixed.

Can we please get an update on inservice?

Remembering Officer Scotty Triplett

by PRD Micheale Currin

In an account from Julius Beasely, an officer who has been with MPD for roughly 25 years, these were the last words uttered by Officer Scotty Triplett before he succumbed to his injuries on May 22nd of this year. His services were held at Hope Church on one of the warmest and sunniest days, of a week that had been rather gloomy with cold chills and rain.

Hope Church was filled with friends, family, fellow officers, dispatchers, and political figures, all wanting to show their respect and honor for a man who lived his life with abundance and joy, and who served his city with all of his heart. We all sat and listened to every speaker, listened to every song, and in our own way we listened to the hearts of all of those around us as the tears silently rolled down our cheeks. I have always heard that you can tell how well loved and well respected a person was by the number of people and amount of support at their funeral, and the love in the building was loud.

Scotty Triplett was an officer with MPD for over 25 years. 25 plus years of never meeting a stranger and making a strong impression with those he encountered. 25 plus years of his passion and his laugh infecting everyone around him and staying with them. Scotty was what you called a “policeman’s policeman” and he did everything he could for his brothers and sisters in blue. He was an excellent husband, father, and friend. He was a phenomenal artist, he loved to hunt, and he had the best sense of humor that accompanied a huge smile. Even on the radio, his personality came through.

above: Hope Church during Officer Triplett's homegoing celebration.

His friends and partners referred to him as a student of life. There was always a teachable moment. There was always beauty to be seen. There was always an amazing experience to be had. He embraced it all and just soaked in it, and he did his best to encourage those around him to do the same. I like to think it was his creative spirit that ignited that passion in him to just truly experience life in all of its facets. His artist’s eye helped him to captivate every single detail around him and not only put it on canvas, but hold it in his heart. This man had a well of beautiful experiences that he had cultivated in his heart, and he never hesitated to pull from it and tell a story or express himself.

We mourn and we celebrate the loss of an amazing officer and man.

May we all follow his example: To seek and hold on to the beautiful and teachable moments in life. In celebrating how he lived, we should all strive to express our love, our deep passions, and enjoy every moment. Scotty sure enough did that and did it well. We can all take extreme comfort in knowing that our dear friend truly is at peace. He is whole. He is complete. And his love will carry on.

Rest well and motor up!

by Erica May

There is an old quote by Geoffrey Chaucer that states " Familiarity breeds contempt".

Simply put, it means that when we are familiar with a person, it's easy to take them for granted, not see them for who they are and treat them with the respect they deserve. We become comfortable with them because they are in such close proximity and we have easy access to them.

My first stop in supervisor training has been on Alpha shift. In my new role, I am now privy to more happenings on the floor. I consider myself a pretty observant person. Even so, I am learning more details about our operation and am seeing "familiar" people in a new light.

Patricia Wright is a 21 year veteran of Memphis Police Communications. On Alpha shift she is a leader and one of the people that keeps things going. As a training leader, I've watched her work with multiple trainees and trainers. She makes sure every one is situated and has what they need. Then she is the manager of "Circle P", ensuring that our convenience store is stocked and set up so that we may have the snacks we are accustomed to. Pat is also a peer counselor, attending debriefings to support and encourage her peers who have experienced traumatic calls and incidents on the job. Before she leaves work for any other task, she makes sure the trainers and trainees were situated and in order.

Don't forget, Pat Wright is also a long time union steward who continually advocates for her fellow dispatcher's rights and benefits. She is concerned about the workings of the Bureau as she recently stopped by the supervisor's platform to voice her concerns about the amount of mandatory overtime and offer suggestions as to how it could be reduced. Pat also voiced her concerns to Manager Rogers. She feels the plight of her fellow coworkers and believes that finding a solution to the current problems is a team effort.

As a newer employee, I appreciate and have been inspired by Pat's commitment to her shift, her role as a lead trainer, and the Bureau as a whole. We frequently speak of "burn out" and it is a real issue. We must appreciate and lift up those who have continued to produce at a high rate for years.

In life and in our workplace, there are people that are only about doing the bare minimum.

They are fine with taking and receiving but will give no more than they must. Everyone will not be an "overachiever" and that is fine, but every one should reflect and make sure they are making some kind of positive contribution.

I invite our co-workers in my tenure bracket to take a page out of Pat Wright's book and see what ways we can positively contribute to our workplace. It's easy to point out problems; however, it takes a lot more effort to resolve to be apart of the solution. And it's amazing that she has been a leader and a hard worker for years!

Let us be intentional in honoring the veterans in our workplace and the sacrifices they've made. It is my pleasure to nominate Pat Wright for our first "AMPED UP" submission spotlight. Thank you for your years of service to the Emergency Communications Bureau and for the example you set for us all.

Do you have a co-worker that is doing great things around Communications? Did you witness someone take an amazing call or do something extraordinary for an officer or citizen. Nominate them for the AMPED UP spotlight. Every employee spotlighted will receive an AMPED UP tshirt and will be featured in the magazine.

I am an MPD dispatcher. I am essential.

I do great things for my City.

#WeAreAmpedUP

I Answer the call I Make the decision I Provide exceptional service I Exceed expectations I Deliver and respond

with a Universal understanding of Priority.

PRD Sam Stamper with his sons: Owen, 3, and 8 month-old Wyatt

Every morning when we drive past the ECB on Union Ext, Owen likes to point to the radio antenna and call out "Daddy's work!" He thinks my job is to climb up in the tower.

All he knows is that I do it to help people, and that is enough for now!

JUNE 2021

EDITOR'S NOTE

ISSUE ELEVEN

June is a big month for me at the ECB. Myself, along with my fantastic classmates Omari Edwards, Janee Lewis and Kalesha Nelson, will be hitting our one year anniversary and coming off probation on the 22nd.

It has also been quite a busy year for me personally. My wife was hospitalized for a month with pregnancy complications, my son Wyatt was born, I lost my father to cancer and my family moved into a new home... and that was all before the end of October!

Through it all, I was working on the

"It has struck me... just how

extensive training necessary to be a

much of a team effort it is to

successful dispatcher. Now that the training

turn a PRDT into a PRD..."

period is coming to an official end, it has struck me just how much of a team effort it

SAM STAMPER

is to turn a PRDT into a PRD. Starting with now Manager Margaret Stiger - (congrats on the promotion Margaret!) - in the classroom, to my CTO's Julia Robinson, Jennifer Mutee, Erica Morris, Ebony Hemingway-Yates and Francisco Lozada, I have learned and grown so much from each of you and I thank you for your help in the process.

Yes, even you, Francisco!

The magazine is also a team effort and the more voices, perspectives and ideas we have contributing, the better and more reflective of The Bureau the magazine will be. So please, if you have an idea for a story, want to highlight someone or something here, or even just have some cool photos you want to share, reach out to myself or anyone else on the magazine team and we will work to get your voices into

Along with this, I have also enjoyed working

these pages.

on and becoming more involved with this magazine. I have found it a great way to be

In the meantime, thank you everyone

more informed and connected with what is

for a great year and let's make the next

going on around the office, to learn about

one even better!

the history of both the ECB and the city of Memphis, and, most importantly, to get to know co-workers better.

Sam Stamper

PAGE 35

JUNE 2021

ISSUE ELEVEN

VIRTUAL 9-1-1 CONFERENCE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY

Professional development helps employees continue to not only be competent in their IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IMPORTANT TO YOU?

profession, but also excel in it. It should be an ongoing process that continues throughout an individual’s career.

source: bizjournals

Actively pursuing professional development ensures that knowledge and skills stay NEVER STOP LEARNING

relevant and up to date. It also allows employees to be more aware of changing trends and directions in an industry.