Livermore's 'Dispatcher of the Year' Named

LIVERMORE, CA – The Livermore Police Department honored Melinda Salas as its Public Safety Dispatcher of the Year at a banquet coinciding with National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week that runs through Saturday.

If you were ever involved in a collision, reported a fire or needed medical help and called 911, there is a strong possibility you spoke with Salas, who has been a dispatcher with the department for 11 years and also is the proud mother of a 3-year-old boy.

"Prior to dispatching, Melinda worked in the finance/mortgage industry," the agency said. "She originally became a dispatcher as a starting point to becoming a police officer, but she loved being a dispatcher so much she decided to make it her career."

Salas was among several dispatchers in the region honored Saturday at the Alameda County Public Safety Dispatcher Banquet in Berkeley.

The police department said Salas, who is seen within the force as both a leader and a team player, was recognized for professionalism and compassion she displayed while handling several difficult calls in 2016.

Salas recalled a prideful career moment from several years ago when her younger sister sat in the communications center to learn what it was like to be a 911 dispatcher, and early in her shift, Salas took a call from a female just involved in a car collision and injured.

Salas took the pertinent information and asked the female if she wanted to stay on the phone with her, since she could tell the female was distressed. She then engaged the accident victim in casual conversation to calm her down and take her mind off the collision.

“I asked her what her plans were before this, and if there was anyone I could call for her. I was successful in keeping her calm until fire and police arrived on scene," Salas said. "It was then, when I looked at my sister and she had tears rolling down her eyes, I knew the line of work I chose was the one for me.”

The Livermore Police Department said the dispatcher duties have evolved considerably over the last half-century from early days of answering phones, relaying calls over console radios and keeping paper logs to today's highly technical, multi-tasking environment where dispatchers are expected to handle every call they receive, whether it is a simple question, a minor problem or a major life-threatening emergency.

"Dispatchers are the unseen heroes, the voice on the other end of the phone or radio. They are always there to help protect and serve our community," the department said.

Agencies across the nation this week are honoring their 911 dispatchers for their dedication and service. The appreciation week began in California in 1981 and grew to a national event. In 1990, the U.S. Congress designated the second week of April each year as a time to remember the critical role that dispatchers play in keeping our communities safe.

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--Image via LPD