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INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .............. 7 La Joya’s Jobs for Arizona Graduates commended
SPORTS ........ 19 Trivium Prep wraps up softball season
9 DAYS ......... 20 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................10 BUSINESS..................... 14 SPORTS ..........................18 FEATURES .....................22 YOUTH ...........................26 OBITUARIES .................30 CLASSIFIEDS................31 NORTH
The Voice of the West Valley for 34 years
14 May 22, 2019
Buckeye police make history in Arizona BY OCTAVIO SERRANO
West Valley View Staff Writer
Margie Castelamare was sitting at her desk with her headset on when she heard the distinct alert of a text message. She looked up to her monitor and read, “I’m an alcoholic. I have nothing good going for my life. I’m attempting suicide. I do have a gun and I’m ready to go to heaven.” Castelamare, a Buckeye police dispatcher, knew how to diffuse the situation and persuaded the man to call another dispatcher who had crisis intervention training. “I turned her (the other dispatcher) over to him, while I looked up his address and verified it while she kept talking to him,” Castelamare said. Both dispatchers were able to confirm his location and get the man the help he needed. It is this type of teamwork that makes the dispatchers of the Buckeye Police Department’s communications center proud to have received its latest accreditation. The Buckeye Police Department Public Safety Communications Center was awarded initial International Accreditation Status on May 4 through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). CALEA accredits public safety agencies
Christy Herron said being a dispatcher is both a challenging and rewarding job. Some of the “bad” calls have stuck with her over the years, but she is always ready to help the next person. (West Valley View photo by Octavio Serrano)
that follow an established set of professional standards and achieve excellence in their practices. This marks an important moment in the history of Arizona, as the Buckeye Police Department is the first and only law en-
forcement agency in the state to have been awarded CALEA’s International Accreditation status for both its law enforcement and communications operations.
History...continued on page 6
West Valley development the focus of summit BY ANDREA ESTRADA
West Valley View Staff Writer
Nearly 50% of Maricopa County’s growth over the next 25 years is projected to occur in the West Valley. In order to accommodate a population growth of more than 1 million people, according to John Graham — WESTMARC board member and Sunbelt Holdings pres-
ident and CEO — economic development strategies are focusing on infrastructure, roads, water and sewer. Graham gathered alongside other WESTMARC members, elected officials and expert speakers at the 2019 Economic Development Summit on May 15 to discuss future growth in the West Valley and learn about water, transportation and
other developments needed to sustain that growth. WESTMARC, also known as the Western Maricopa Coalition, is a public-private partnership of the West Valley’s business and education sectors founded in 1990. The coalition’s membership is comprised
Summit...continued on page 3
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