Wednesday, August 10, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Clay Patterson, MA, Director, Carroll County 911, Carrollton, Georgia

The presenter began this session with a short biography including his time as a patrol officer. He is now the director at the Carroll County E-911 center. Clay Patterson shared his story of the chaotic events of an officer-involved shooting in his county. He highlighted the leadership skills he observed that day.

On April 21, 2021, the first day of National Telecommunicator Week, director Patterson headed in to the center early around 0000 hours. He was expecting to begin the celebrations for a week that is so deserving to our telecommunicators. However, the shift quickly took a turn when a broadcast was given for a suspect that had fired shots at an officer during a high-speed pursuit. The suspect vehicle entered his county’s jurisdiction. Upon making contact, the suspect shot a sergeant in the head. As his center was handling the chaos that ensued, the suspect entered another jurisdiction where he fired shots from a high-powered rifle striking yet another trooper. This was the suspect’s third attack.

Throughout the emotional turmoil in his center, director Clay Patterson was a solid leader standing with his team. As a new 9-1-1 director, he was in awe of the organization his team demonstrated. He watched as they called neighboring agencies, and called for the medical helicopter and ambulances. He left this event with a new understanding of leadership.