The Police Communications Operators for the Bel Air Police Department do it all – dispatching emergency calls from Harford County’s 911 center or the public to police officers in the field, assisting members of the public who come to the police department lobby, entering information into state and national law enforcement databases, maintaining town police records, even monitoring town security cameras that cover facilities such as the Bel Air Armory and Hickory Avenue parking garage.
They also field phone calls from the public on a variety of issues, including reports of crimes or emergencies, after-hours public works issues that are dispatched to on-call DPW staff, animal complaints, even questions about town events such as the annual July 4 parade.
The town’s PCOs are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They, as well as their colleagues around the United States, will be honored starting Monday, April 9 for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
The job of police communications operators and emergency dispatchers is stressful, with a high turnover rate. The average career lasts three to five years, according to Bel Air PCO Karla Melchior. She has nearly 16 years of service with the town police department and has trained other operators.
“That consistency and continuity helps a lot,” Melchior said.
Bel Air Police Chief Charles Moore described the PCOs as “our unsung heroes,” noting that they are “unquestionably the lifeline for the cops on the street and the community.”
“This recognition is a reminder that their service is one of the most important links in the chain of public service,” he said of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
David Anderson/Town of Bel Air
Karla Melchior, a police communications operator with the Bel Air Police Department, answers a phone call while working in the dispatch center.
David Anderson/Town of Bel Air
Karla Melchior, right, a police communications operator with the Bel Air Police Department, interacts with retired PCO Janice Parrino at the customer service window of the dispatch center to demonstrate a typical PCO interaction with a member of the public. It is one of the many duties PCOs have during their shifts.
Contact Media and Public Relations Specialist David Anderson at 410-688-3020 or danderson@belairmd.org.