Last month, KPATC honored 7 exemplary 911 professionals at Idaho State Police Emergency Communications Center South in Meridian, ID with our challenge coin during a Zoom call. Alex Rawlinson, Eric Heitzinger, Kristine Smith, Ashlyn Lynard and Sierra Cerny showed “extraordinary teamwork” to locate a girl who lives in Idaho who was threatening suicide on a social media site. A caller from Maine saw the threat on the site and called it in to the Idaho PD 911 Center South. These Public Communication Officers contacted the social media site and gave proof of the suicidal threats to retain the number and owner of the phone. They spent over 2.5 hours (during rush hours when call volumes are high) to locate the family of this young girl in distress. Thankfully the girl was okay. So proud of this team for their persistence and determination to locate this girl in distress. They would not have known she was okay if they had not followed this call through to conclusion. They were truly “Answering The Call To Be Their Best Selves” on Aug.18, 2020. On April 16, DeLisa Orren’s quick thinking to connect the local PD with the Idaho AMBER Alert system when minutes and seconds count helped locate a runaway girl. This amazing group of individuals are able to “Be Their Best Selves Every Day” due to the supportive leadership of Captain Kevin Haight, a 911 professional dedicated to improving 911 Centers in Idaho and across the country. Thank you for your service- You’re ALL amazing!
