Dispatchers at the Madison Parish Sheriff’s Office serve as the first point of contact in emergencies, handling calls, gathering information and directing responses for law enforcement, fire and medical services.
During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the role of dispatchers remains focused on communication, decision-making and coordination under pressure.
Kierra Oliver, an E-911 dispatcher, said the work centers on managing each call and identifying priorities.
“The key in dispatching is to triage (life threatening vs non-emergency calls),” Oliver said. “I have to make quick decisions in the most ambiguous situations.”
She said maintaining control of the call is essential to ensuring accurate information reaches deputies.
“I focus on controlling the call, not reacting to it,” Oliver said. “Good information is officer safety & I’m the officer’s lifeline.”
Dispatchers process calls that range from routine requests to emergencies, often with limited or unclear details.
“Sometimes I receive calls that are very emotional,” Oliver said. “I taught myself to stay calm and show empathy without losing control.”
Barbara Whitney, supervisor of 911, said the work requires consistency across all types of calls and situations.
“You get calls from people screaming, you get calls from people hysterical,” Whitney said. “However, the ladies remain calm and they do their job to the best of their ability.”
Whitney said dispatchers must maintain a steady approach regardless of the caller’s condition.
“In this line of job, you have to have compassion,” she said.
She said the department relies on dispatchers to maintain operations at all times, alongside dispatchers Nikki Beckham, Kierra Oliver, Nicole Davis and Tiffani Levi.
“They give up their holidays. They give up their vacations to come in and work for each other,” Whitney said.
Dispatchers also coordinate closely with units in the field, ensuring information is relayed quickly and accurately.
Nikki Beckham said the role requires filtering information from callers and transferring it to responding agencies.
“We are the very first responders,” Beckham said. “We hear all of the raw emotion, whether it’s good or bad, mostly bad.”
She said dispatchers must focus on gathering key details.
“We have to basically filter all of that, get all the information that we can get and get it out to our deputies and/or ambulance service or fire department so we can get the help to them just as quick as possible,” Beckham said.
Each call presents a different situation, requiring dispatchers to adjust in real time.
“Every call is different too,” Beckham said. “We just got to take it one call at a time.”
She said callers can assist by providing clear information.
“The main thing to stay as calm as possible so we can get the imperative information that we need,” Beckham said.
Across the department, dispatchers operate as a link between the public and emergency responders, handling calls, prioritizing incidents and coordinating responses.
“Dispatchers are the first link in the survival chain,” Oliver said.
Sheriff Chad Ezell said the department relies on dispatchers to manage multiple calls and emergencies at once.
“We are lucky to have such dedicated dispatchers that have to juggle so many calls and emergencies,” Ezell said. “They do not get the credit they deserve.”
Ezell said dispatchers play a central role in operations.
“They are the Sheriff’s Office lifeline,” he said. “They may not be out in the public in units or showing up on the scene, but they are behind the scene directing everyone who shows up.”
“And I appreciate each one of them,” Ezell said.
