Fort Scott police honor dispatchers

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- During the last week, the Fort Scott Police Department has honored its communication officers for in celebration of National Telecommunicator Week.

Currently, the FSPD has five full-time and four part-time communication officers, a records clerk and a communication officer supervisor working for the dispatch center. The full-time employees working at the dispatch center and their years of service are: Allen Schellack, eight years; Crystal Roberts, seven years; Traci Parker, two years; Cathie Bones, two years; Kristen Long, one year; Sarah Karleskint, one year; and Kathy McGehee, three months. The part-time employees are Amanda Christians, Robert Uhler, Scott Perkins, and Curtis McCullogh.

During the week some of the communication officers attended a dispatch conference as well as other training.

The communication officers at the FSPD dispatch for a various array of agencies such as the FSPD, Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, Mercy Health Center, Fort Scott Fire Department, and nine rural county fire departments. They are also responsible for the coordination with the Kansas Highway Patrol and other surrounding counties.

The Fort Scott Communication center averaged about 17,000 calls for service and answered about 11,400 911 calls in 2009, according to the FSPD.

"Communication officers are the unsung heroes of public safety and the staff of the Fort Scott Police Department would like to thank them for all of the hard work," FSPD officials stated in a press release.