GREENVILLE, Texas - Law enforcement and emergency communications personnel from across Northeast Texas gathered in Greenville on Sept. 22 for specialized training on how 911 centers should respond when children are reported missing or abducted.
The course, "911 Telecommunicators: Response to Missing and Abducted Children," focused on the critical role dispatchers play during the earliest stages of a missing child investigation.
The Hunt County Sheriff's Office hosted the training with support from the Greenville Police Department. Kristen Campanella and Capt. Brandon Zachary served as instructors.
The course uses actual cases, call analysis and scenario-based exercises to help 911 telecommunicators recognize different types of missing child incidents and determine how to respond when those reports are received.
Participants also received training involving the National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, along with standards and practices associated with the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials and the American National Standards Institute.
Because 911 telecommunicators are often the first public safety personnel to receive information about a missing or abducted child, their initial actions can affect how quickly information reaches officers and other agencies responding to the case.
The training also addressed the emotional demands placed on emergency dispatchers. Resilience-building strategies were included to help telecommunicators manage the stress associated with handling missing child cases and other high-pressure calls.
The no-cost course is designed for 911 telecommunicators, supervisors and command staff responsible for emergency communications operations, law enforcement officers and law enforcement support personnel.
