Above (front:) Dispatcher Nashly Leslie-Derego, Dispatcher Ursula Milare-Sambrana, Lieutenant Aimee Wana(rear): Deputy Chief Paul Ferreira, Dispatch Clerk Jennifer Kaaihue, Sergeant Travis Ing, Supervising Dispatcher Miriam Kanaeholo, Sergeant Kelley Matsumoto, Dispatcher Daylynn Kyles, Dispatcher Roydon Kobayashi, Dispatcher Keven Lee, Major Paul Kealoha, Major Larry Weber

MEDIA RELEASE

Dispatchers from the Hawai’i Police Department were recognized on Tuesday (April 13) in honor of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.

At an employee luncheon funded by private donations, Deputy Chief Paul Ferreira thanked the dispatchers for their hard work and presented certificates of appreciation to four employees who had been named “Dispatcher of the Quarter” in 2009. They were:

• Keven Lee, Dispatcher of the 1st Quarter for his handling and coordinating of calls during extreme flooding in South Kohala on February 11, 2009.
• Loralee Haskell, Dispatcher of the 2nd Quarter, for her consistent and reliable work, her willingness to assist her fellow dispatchers, and her pleasant disposition.
• Ursula Milare-Sambrana, Dispatcher of the 3rd Quarter, for going beyond the call of duty after receiving a rape report, leading to the arrest of the suspect.
• Sabrina Hartz, for her work at the Puna console during a standoff with an armed barricaded suspect on December 16.

The Hawaii Police Department’s Communications Dispatch Center screens all of the island’s 9-1-1 calls, which average about 10,000 per month. Of those, 85 percent are intended for police, while the remaining 15 percent are transferred to the Fire Department.

Since 1991, the second full week of April each year has been dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators.