Criminal Justice teacher Amy Gillette at Questar III’s Rensselaer Educational Center in Troy recently earned her certification to teach APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials) Public Safety Telecommunications I to her students. The 40 hour course is the entry-level training normally given to a newly-hired dispatcher.
After working as a police officer in Georgetown, South Carolina, Gillette knows how important 911 dispatching is to the criminal justice field. She took the course on her own time as a way to help improve the program.
“I’m always thinking of ways to make the program better and how to give kids things that really matter,” Gillette said.
She says smaller municipalities often don’t subscribe to county 911 services and instead have their own dedicated dispatch centers. In the Capital Region, Menands, North Greenbush, East Greenbush, Schodack, and Green Island among others manage their own emergency dispatching. Albany Medical Center, private ambulance companies like Empire or Mohawk and colleges with their own public safety departments don’t rely on a county dispatch center either.
This leads to significantly more jobs in the field than if every jurisdiction in the area used the county 911 service. By offering this training while her students are still in high school, Gillette says this makes them more attractive to prospective employers.
“This is something the agency doesn’t have to pay for after they’re hired, and having this certification shows they know the basics already.”
She says employers realize a potential employee with this certification in hand can handle the stress and will be ready for more advanced training.
Along with the training, students also now have access to a 911 simulator. This two-station computer system has one person in another room acting as a caller and a second serving as the 911 operator – asking questions, taking down information, dispatching officers, and logging information from the field.
To receive her trainer certification, Gillette had to first take the course herself, then apply for an instructor certificate. She says her education and background in law enforcement as a police officer and a dispatcher allowed her to become an instructor.
The APCO training will become a regular part of the curriculum, and for a $95 fee, students will receive their Public Safety Telecommunications I certification. This certification adds to the already extensive list of certifications criminal justice students earn upon completion of the course. Currently students earn their security guard pre-service training, FEMA incident command, first aid/CPR/AED, and NYS mandated reporter certifications.
“I’m beyond excited that Questar III supported this,” Gillette says.
For more information on Questar III’s Criminal Justice program, please visit our website.
