There's an ongoing demand for law enforcement dispatchers across Kentucky. Last week, the Public Safety Dispatch Academy at Eastern Kentucky University graduated its 100thclass. Training Supervisor Mike Keyser says upon receiving their degrees, the 20 new graduates began taking emergency calls right away. "One of the graduates had to work that evening at four o’clock,” said Keyser. “Whenever they graduated they went to work, either that day or if they had the good fortune to have a couple of days off, I guarantee you they were working by Monday morning."
Keyser says high turnover remains an issue within the industry. He says part of the stress stems from being the first to get involved in emergency response, but not always knowing the outcome of the situation. "It's not a script,” he said. “It's not a television show. The calls that these people take are real and they're people within their known community, so that adds to the stress."
The dispatcher program is offered through the state Department of Criminal Justice Training over the course of five weeks. Keyser says the next class will begin in July.