Perry County 911 Dispatch recently added two new dispatchers — Brian Hall and Christian Stidham — with their graduation from the Public Safety Dispatch Academy at the Department of Criminal Justice Training.
The Perry County 911 Dispatch most recently congratulated two new additions to their team of now 18 dispatchers. The first new graduates since 2017, according to Perry County E-911 Assistant Director Diane Napier.
Brian Hall and Christian Stidham were two of a class of 24 in class 149 of the Public Safety Dispatch Academy at the Department of Criminal Justice Training and graduated May 12.
According to Napier, the class is a 160-hour, four-week academy that prepares the students for a successful career as a 911 dispatcher.
“The students first start here for an extended period, we let them train on the radios and with personnel before we send them to the academy,” Napier said. “We want to train them for success at the academy.”
The trainees must adhere to evaluations to determine if they are suitable for the task the job entails. This process consists of two phases according to Napier.
“They must go through ‘Suitability Phases,’ a social evaluation according to specifications provided by the DOCJT that determines their aptitude and perimeters of capability, how they react to real life situations and the other is a psychological evaluation where trainees must submit to a polygraph,” said Napier.
According to DOCJT ( Department of Criminal Justice Training) the Public Safety Dispatch Academy Class 149 earned the "Class of Distinction Award". Their class average was 95% or above. They had no failures, no disciplinary issues and had completed satisfactorily on all assignments. The last dispatch class to receive a "Class of Distinction Award" was Class 128 in October 2019.
