Lake County proclaims April 13–19 National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week; commissioners praise dispatchers

The Lake County Board of Commissioners on April 10, 2025, unanimously approved a resolution proclaiming April 13–19, 2025, as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and heard remarks praising the county’s dispatch staff.

The proclamation recognizes the work of Lake County Central Dispatch and other public-safety call takers. Captain McNeekie, who supervises the dispatch center, told the commissioners, “Our center handled nearly 84,000 9-1-1 calls last year and more than 300,000 total incoming calls,” and called the workload “hard” and “a toll on these ladies and gentlemen that are doing the job.”

The board’s commissioners echoed those sentiments. One commissioner said dispatchers “are watching with an eagle eye across multiple screens” and called their work lifesaving; another recounted a personal experience in which a dispatcher assisted during the unplanned home birth of the speaker’s child, saying the dispatcher’s instruction helped them through the event.

Captain McNeekie also emphasized the technical changes facing dispatch centers, including NextGen 9-1-1 capabilities that will add text and picture routing to emergency call handling. He thanked the board for the proclamation and said the center’s staff appreciated the recognition.

The resolution was moved, seconded and approved by the commissioners. The board presented copies of the proclamation and invited dispatch staff to a photo after the meeting.

The item was presented during the resolutions portion of the meeting and generated several minutes of remarks from commissioners and dispatch leadership.