APCO Applauds Pima County Sheriff’s Communications
Daytona Beach, Fla. — The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International applauds actions taken by the Pima County, Arizona Sheriff’s Communications team in handling of the emergency calls surrounding the incident in Tucson on January 8, 2011, where Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others were attacked by a gunman.
The emergency communications professional who received the initial call drew on recent training to obtain crucial information about the ongoing incident, all of which was used in the decision making process as units responded. Radio dispatch personnel established clear and separate priorities for communications related to this tragic incident, while maintaining full responsiveness for other emergency services requests.
“APCO is proud of the extraordinary job performed by the call-taker and dispatch personnel of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department during this horrific incident”, said Bill Carrow, President of APCO International. “These personnel are truly the behind-the-scene heroes.”
APCO International considers the Pima County Sheriff’s Communications’ management of the response to this national tragedy a stellar example of the commitment public safety communications personnel exhibit each and every day in service to our country.
About APCO International
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.apcointl.org.