Police dispatchers recognized by City of Azle

AZLE — The City of Azle recognizes its heroes behind the headsets in April.

After addressing library staff at an April 2 Azle City Council meeting, Mayor Alan Brundrett continued by recognizing Azle’s police and emergency dispatchers and their importance to the community. National Public Safety and Telecommunicators Week is held April 14-20. Public Safety and Telecommunicators Week was first celebrated in 1981 by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California. The week was made official nationwide in 1994, after President Bill Clinton signed Presidential Proclamation 6667.

Three Azle telecommunicators stood at the city council meeting to be recognized for their professionalism and hard work. Mayor Alan Brundrett read a proclamation from the City of Azle, adding his own thoughts afterward.

“Our dispatchers, they do so much more than just calling in, keeping track of the police, saying where to go and things like that,” Brundrett said. “They monitor the prisoners in our jail, they deal with when cars get impounded dealing with the forms. There’s so much stuff and a lot of stress that they go through, too, because they are that first phone call with people screaming and crying and they’re trying to calm them down and get that information to get them what they need to do. You guys do a lot more than people realize and I just want to thank you for putting up with it all. They don’t always deal with our best class of citizens, and they do a good job with it.”

Valerie Keith joined the Azle Police Department as its new dispatch manager at the end of January. She previously worked as a fire dispatcher at Tarrant County Regional Communications, was Communications Supervisor at Mansfield Police Department and a telecommunications specialist at several other police departments.

“Summer and I are new to the dispatch team here at the Azle Police Department, but it has been amazing for both of us,” Keith said. “It was so wonderful Tuesday night to be recognized by the city council for the hard work and dedication these ladies have shown our city. We appreciate everyone taking time out of their very busy schedules to recognize us, it means a lot to us to have that support from our mayor and city council.”