Telecommunicators at Kentucky State Police Post 10 in Harlan will be recognized along with more than 200,000 of their fellow communicators nationwide April 14-20 during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

These silent heroes behind the headsets are more than just a voice on the other end of the line. They often save lives on a daily basis.

“KSP telecommunicators are challenged on a daily basis dealing with stressful situations, many that involve life and death, and they are expected to handle these situations with compassion, empathy and professionalism,” says Captain Catron, Commander of KSP Post 10 in Harlan.

“They are a lifeline to our troopers in the field. By the nature of the business, they deal with people who have been victimized or need medical assistance. They may be threatening and belligerent, or in some cases, not able to communicate at all, other than dialing 911 with their last bit of strength, in an attempt to get help.”

KSP telecommunicators handle dispatch duties for troopers, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers and other emergency service agencies. Their duties include calling wrecker services, notifying channels of administration, running license plate and driver’s license numbers, running criminal histories and notifying family members while continuing to answer new calls and handling other radio traffic.

KSP employs 193 telecommunicators at its 16 posts throughout the state. In 2018, they handled 493,186 calls. Post 10 in Harlan has 11 telecommunicators on staff who handle calls from Harlan, Bell and Knox counties. Last year, they responded to 22,089 calls.

Post 10’s telecommunicators consists of Yolanda Young of Pineville, Paul Mark Spurlock of Lenarue, Tommy Shepherd of Harlan, Lisa Middleton of Evarts, Charles “Chuck” Owens of Harlan, Mary Asher-Pierce of Harlan, Justin Farley of Harlan, Jacob Rich of Harlan, Gerald Browning of Totz, David Bledsoe of Cumberland, and Adam Evans of Pineville.

For more information or to apply for a telecommunication position with KSP, log on to the state personnel website at www.personnel.ky.gov. The Kentucky State Police (KSP) is a law enforcement agency that prides itself on attracting the best individuals. KSP affords equal employment opportunity to all individuals, regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender or age. For a copy of the KSP Equal Employment Opportunity Plan visit: http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/pdf/EEOP_Short_Form.pdf