Madison Parish is joining the nation this week in celebrating a largely unsung group of heroes, as April 10 through 16 is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
Madison Parish E-911 Director Cynthia Machen said it is an important annual event and hopes locals will join her acknowledging the hard work and dedication the group demonstrates day -in and day-out.
“Madison Parish 911 has a phenomenal group of people who man the Madison Parish 911 Center on a 24/7 basis and deserve our thanks during NPSTW,” Machen said. “All five 911 dispatchers are certified, sworn Madison Parish Sheriff deputies who work 12-hour shifts.”
Machen has served as director of Madison’s E-911 since 1999 and is a certified telecommunicator and certified telecommunicator instructor. She is also certified in fire communications, law enforcement communications and disaster communications. Machen steps in as a dispatcher when needed.
Barbara Whitney serves as dispatch supervisor and, in 2020, was promoted to assistant warden at the Madison Parish Jail, serving underneath Warden Jarrett Brooks.
Patricia Wilhite Hendrix, Tiffany Levi and Kierra Oliver all serve as full-time 911 dispatchers, with Nikki Williams coming on board in January 2022, Machen said. Samantha Olivoe served as a 911 dispatcher before moving her services to the Madison Parish Courthouse, where she works in the warrants/records department.
Additionally, Machen said, several MPSO patrol deputies frequently step in as dispatchers/call takers when needed. Their hard work, she stressed, is also very appreciated.
“It seems so appropriate during this year’s NPSTW, we celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Madison Parish going live with enhanced 911,” Machen said of this year’s celebration. “Prior to April 12, 2002, all 911 calls came into the Tallulah Police Department. There was no way of knowing who was calling, or where they were calling from. There was no mapping and cell phone calls did not show up on the caller ID. On April 12, 2002, 911 center went live with enhanced 911 that allowed calls to be located by address and cell phone calls to show on the map.
All calls, even radio traffic, are recorded. The Madison Parish center is now using newly installed, upgraded, top-of-the-line 911 equipment. The upgraded system from Motorola/FLEX includes 911 dispatch, jail records management and mapping. Madison Parish went live with this current system at the end of 2021. This upgrade was made possible by funds that came into the parish from the renewal of a 911 millage and from monthly 911 surcharges collected through wireless carriers. The new 911 dispatch equipment allows the center to be one of the top-of-the-line centers in north Louisiana and be able to serve the public better. The dispatchers have worked hard training on the new equipment and deserve a special thanks for learning something new after so many years of the old way.
“The 911 dispatchers are often overlooked,” Machen said. “But it should be known they are the heartbeat of all of the other first responders. The dispatchers play a role behind the scenes and are rarely seen by 911 callers during an emergency. The truth is, 911 dispatchers are the first, first responders and all other first responders would not be able to do their jobs effectively if they don’t handle the calls.”
