The Kansas Highway Patrol is celebrating the second full week of April (April 11-17) as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. This week, sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, and celebrated annually, honors the thousands of men and women who answer emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to the world’s citizens.
The critical role played by public safety telecommunications professionals across the nation, and within the KHP, is oftentimes underappreciated and underestimated. When a member of the public or an officer needs help during an emergency, dispatchers become their lifeline, ensuring that the appropriate assistance is contacted and en route to whatever the situation might be.
The work our dispatchers perform, and the skill in which it is delivered, clearly benefits and enhances the safety of our officers and the public. They remain faceless and nameless to those who depend upon their expertise, and it is appropriate that we recognize them in April for all they do.
Most of the KHP’s telecommunications professionals are centrally housed in Salina, with a few assigned to Topeka. They collectively serve nearly 600 troopers, motor carrier inspectors, Capitol Police officers, and motorist assistance technicians throughout the Patrol’s seven field troops, and the Capitol Complex. Currently, there are nearly 70 men and women assigned dispatch duties within the agency.
Do you have questions or suggestions? If so, please send them via e-mail to: KSHighwayPatrol@khp.ks.gov.
