For my first co-op, I decided to stay local and continue working at my current place of employment, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. While I am still working as a 911 dispatcher, I decided to find other avenues where I could promote advocacy. I’ve been working closely with my supervisor to ensure that protection orders and warrants are entered in the appropriate time and manner. I’ve also been working on QA/QI protocol in high priority calls, such as ones including assault, domestic violence, shootings, and calls that utilize emergency medical dispatching.
A normal day working in a communications center is anything but. There are influxes of calls, and you’re never truly able to prepare for what you encounter. One call may be a pocket dial, but another may involve a child not breathing. While I adore the variations of the calls, I am privileged that my job has been open to allowing more practices to decrease violence against women. We have better response times due to better staffing. We now have survivor advocates that are readily available to assist 24/7. Women and men are now able to meet with our sergeants who then assist them with filling out paperwork to file protection orders. This month, we are doing more community policing, but attempting to raise money for the local LGBTQ+ youth.
Photo credit:Â https://www.facebook.com/ClarkCountySheriffOH/
