Consolidated Dispatch Center Shift Supervisor Wendy Strain goes through medical instructions Tuesday morning during a 911 call. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

LAPD Dispatcher Ruben Garcia sends emergency responders to the home of a 911 caller. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

• “There’s the thin blue line for police officers and the thin red line for firefighters … dispatchers are the thin gold line …” –CDC Supervisor Kate Stoddard

When visitors stand in front of the small dark window in the foyer of the Los Alamos Police Department and speak to a dispatcher by means of a telephone on the wall, they don’t often realize that behind the window is a world rarely seen by members of the public.

CDC Manager Kate Stoddard. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

“It’s a world nobody thinks about until you need us,” said Kate Stoddard, manager of the Consolidated Dispatch Center (CDC) and its team of 12 highly-trained and dedicated dispatchers.

These men and women are literally the very first responders for life-threatening situations and a lifeline for police officers in the field. A huge amount of public trust has been placed in them.

In 2016, the CDC handled more than 53,000 incoming telephone calls including 5,710 calls to 911 with an average ring time of three seconds. Some 2,063 of those calls were for the Los Alamos Fire Department and 19,321 were for LAPD. In addition to providing dispatch services for LAPD, LAFD and the Animal Shelter, the center handles dispatch for the five National Park Service rangers at Bandelier National Monument as well as after hours support for Los Alamos County utilities, facilities and parks. The CDC also works with the Los Alamos National Laboratory security force and the Emergency Management Response Team.

Training for LAPD dispatchers is extensive and ongoing. They are all certified Emergency Medical and Fire Dispatchers with the International Academy of Emergency Dispatchers and hold New Mexico Department of Health Emergency Dispatch licenses. Each dispatcher must complete 20 hours of continuing law enforcement training and 24 hours of medical dispatch training biennially. They are also certified Public Safety Telecommunicators through the Department of Public Safety.

“We are also blessed to have two nationally-certified hostage negotiators, Ruben Garcia and Randon Romero, on our team,” Stoddard said.

Stoddard says the relocation of the CDC from LANL to the police department in 2010 has made face-to-face contact with police officers so much easier and helped improve communications. Dispatchers are required to know the name, rank, badge number, face and full spelling of all 77 LAPD staff members with 90 percent accuracy.

“We place high expectations on our dispatchers and they always rise to exceed the expectations. They are very good at what they do and they care about each and every officer and firefighter individually,” Stoddard said.

When you enter the CDC, you are immediately struck by the low level of light and the number of computer screens in the large area. Each dispatcher looks at seven screens at all times. Although there is a 911 call for medical assistance for an elderly woman in progress as well as several other concurrent calls, the atmosphere is calm and serene. Dispatchers have hard copies and computerized versions of dozens of protocols to assist callers and are able to provide pre-arrival lifesaving instructions such as CPR, choking and childbearing instructions. In fact, last year the CDC assisted in delivering two babies. Dispatchers are required to stay on the line with a 911 caller until a first responder literally has their hands on the person with the medical issue.

Wendy Strain is the shift supervisor and the civilian equivalent of a sergeant. She has worked with LAPD for more than 25 years and for the Jemez Marshals Office for five years before that.

“I love working for the Los Alamos Police Department. Dispatching is what I do and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” she said. “I care a lot about what I do and I care a lot about this department.”

Stoddard said Strain is an amazing resource for information in all areas of the County and calls her “a human Rolodex.” In addition to dispatching and her supervisory responsibilities such as training and mentoring, Strain handles procurement for the entire Department.

Susie Feiertag has been dispatching for seven years.

“I love the excitement and the adrenaline rush,” she said. “I love being a part of the community and the fact that we have state of the art equipment and resources here at the CDC.”

Feiertag said she loves the people she works with and commended Stoddard for being a great leader with incredible knowledge and passion for her job.

Ruben Garcia has been a dispatcher for 10 years with five years in Espanola before starting with the LAPD.

“Every call is different – that’s what keeps me going,” he said. “Every day is different. This is not your typical eight to five job.”

Stoddard said she loves her career and the people she works with.

“There’s the thin blue line for police officers and the thin red line for firefighters. Dispatchers are the thin gold line. They are the glue that holds it all together,” Stoddard said.

Other LAPD dispatchers include Angela Cordova, Erica Manzanares, Roberto Lujan, Seth Martinez, Robert Montoya, Tony Cardenas and Andrea Garcia.

Tours of the CDC can be arranged by calling Sgt. Chris Ross at 505.663.1874.

Susie Feiertag has been a dispatcher with the Los Alamos Police Department for seven years. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com