Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
El Paso County proclaims National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week; sheriff thanks dispatchers for lifesaving work
Summary
The El Paso County Board unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and praised dispatch center staff; Sheriff Weibel highlighted rapid 911 answer times (~7.29 seconds average) and credited training and technology upgrades for saving lives and handling ~285,000 calls last year.
The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously April 14 to proclaim the week in April 2026 as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in El Paso County.
Chair Carrie Geithner read the proclamation, which credited emergency dispatchers and call takers with providing critical pre-arrival guidance, helping save 10 lives and assisting in 11 births during the previous year. The proclamation was moved by Chair Geithner, seconded, and approved 4–0.
Sheriff Weibel, speaking after the proclamation, thanked the commissioners and praised dispatchers as "the calm in the storm," citing performance metrics for 2025: an average 911 answer time of about 7.29 seconds, nearly 90 percent of calls answered within 15 seconds, and roughly 285,000 calls for service processed across law enforcement, fire and medical responses.
"They're the ones who bring order to chaos in someone's worst moments," the sheriff said, and he emphasized the training dispatchers receive — nearly a year in some cases — and recent investments in the regional communications center. He credited technology upgrades, including automated follow-up to abandoned wireless 911 calls, with improving response and efficiency.
Commissioners Holly Williams, Corey Applegate and Vice Chair Lauren Nelson echoed the praise, thanked dispatchers for their professionalism and noted the stress of the work. The board recessed briefly after the vote for a photograph with dispatch staff in attendance.
The proclamation was signed on behalf of the board and attested by the county clerk and recorder; no policy actions or funding changes were proposed at the meeting.
