Daily Dispatch: Heroes 2012 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)

A Salute to

Our Local

Heroes

Law Enforcement Emergency Dispatchers Firefighters Wednesday, December 19, 2012

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The Daily Dispatch

A Salute

to

Heroes

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Year-long search culminates in arrival of K-9 recruits

BY MARTIN FISHER DISPATCH STAFF

To Henderson Police Department master trainer Lt. Gregory Williams, the canine members of the force add new dimensions to officer capabilities in the field once trained.

The K-9 unit is here, with three new arrivals this month after a year-long search, according to Police Chief Keith Sidwell.

Williams has 16 years of experience with the Henderson police that includes being a K-9 handler himself. He leads the department’s four K-9 handler teams toward service readiness certification, which is anticipated in early March.

Each of the dogs will be able to function as multipurpose K-9s, Williams said, capable for narcotics detection, tracking, criminal apprehension, handler protection and article/evidence search.

He said he loves and respects dogs, all of them, whether pets or on the force.

“They all want to please their handler, or in any dog, their master,” Williams said. “They will quickly give their lives for them. I was a K-9 handler for 14 years.

I know all dogs are smart.

I have never met a dumb dog.”

Sidwell said the hunt for three new dogs who join veteran K-9 Diesel has been “arduous.”

“As you can imagine, K-9 takes a great deal of time and effort in the selection of not only the handlers, but also the actual K-9s,” Sidwell wrote in a prepared statement.

After numerous years

MARK DOLEJS / Dispatch Staff

Sgt. Jon Collier (from left) with Onyx along with officer Wesley Harris with Cak, are part of the Henderson Police department’s K-9 unit. of service, several of the department’s dogs fell to illness or aged out, according to Sidwell. Sidwell said the department fortunate to have Williams as the department training professional for the new K-9s.

Williams said that Nero, Onyx and Cak came from Holland days before arriving in Henderson, and they are only trained in basic bite work.

“They are green dogs,” Williams said. “They have no obedience training.

They flew into the country Monday, and we went to Virginia yesterday to bring them here. We will be training them in everything.”

Williams said that having K-9s could turn

an hour-long line search through a field or forest area by a dozen officers into a half-minute fetch game for the dog.

“You give a dog a command, and he might find it in 30 seconds,” Williams said. “This ability they have translates to tossed evidence like a knife or gun, to

hidden narcotics or maybe a lost child.”

Williams said the department will find the eight or nine weeks of training a brief wait compared to the yearlong search that included dealing with numerous vendors.

According to Sidwell: • Sgt. Michael Over-

Thanks To All of the Law Enforcement & EMS for All That You Do!

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ton, with seven years in Henderson and several years of K-9 experience, is partnered with the

department’s four-year old veteran Dutch Shepherd named Diesel.

• Officer Jeffrey Macialek, a six-year veteran in Henderson and numerous years of K-9 experience, is partnered with an 11-month-old Belgian Malinois named Nero, also called Onyx by Williams.

• Sgt. Jonathan Collier, a three-year veteran with Henderson and with prior experience as a law enforcement officer, is partnered with a 12-month-old German Shepherd named Mack.

• Officer Wesley Harris, a three-year veteran in Henderson, is partnered with a 15-month-old Sable German named Cak. Both Harris and Collier have extensive experience in narcotics investigation, Sidwell said, adding that the new K-9s are acquired from American K-9 Interdiction, LLC, in Carrsville, Va.

Contact the writer at mfisher@hendersondispatch. com.

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Salute to all of the Vance County Law Enforcement And EMS!

The Daily Dispatch

A Salute

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Heroes

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Calming voices, working ‘behind the scenes’ 24/7

BY MARTIN FISHER DISPATCH STAFF

The 28 members of the Vance E-911 communications team are the first responders in nearly every emergency experienced by county residents.

They are always three touch-tones away.

They can’t intervene like firemen, police or paramedics on location, but they respond with a calming, knowledgeable voice at the other end of what for many callers are a lifeline: conversations that always start with a quick, “Vance 911.”

Under the direction of Brian Short, the center has upgraded from just the basic phones with a computer to the “E” (for enhanced) Computer Aided Dispatch, or CAD, system, integrating many state-of-the-art technologies.

Short said that he wonders if they could have made it through a storm like the 22-inch blizzard of Jan. 24, 2000, without the enhanced system that went in barely five months before.

Still, it is his people who he sees as the true heroes.

“Well, you can put the best equipment in there that money can buy, and we do have that, but without the trained, competent work force, that equipment is worthless,” Short said. “We are very, very fortunate to have the competent people we have.”

The team consists of 15 full-time and eight parttime dispatchers and five support staff, with a crew in place 24/7.

“I wanted to be behind the scenes,” said Nick Ellington, a five-year dispatcher who was formerly a fireman. “A rewarding

aspect is you never know what is going to be happening on the other end of the phone, but in an emergency, you can keep your composure and get a caller to calm down.”

No one on the team can claim more seniority than Angelia Alston, a training supervisor who clocked in when the “clock” started in July 1987.

“We work together as a team, because it takes teamwork and a strong desire to help others to do this job,” Alston said.

Alston added that giving out information used to not be allowed.

“But now we are able to do that,” she said, thanks to recent training upgrades.

Dispatcher Veronica Parham said a December 5 a.m. robbery at Bojangles’ is a case in point. She helped a manager know help was on the way, and to get inside, door locked.

“They both got in there safely,” Parham said, “and information they gave led to an arrest in minutes.”

Parham said her role is to relay information quickly where needed.

“You just have to reassure them,” she said, “I am here to help, but you have to let me help you.”

About 75 percent of the calls are not emergencies.

Quite a few calls come in from elderly persons who may have urgencies, such as disorientation because of poor eyesight.

Angel Reavis said she treats all callers with respect. She said it’s not her role to decide if someone is abusing the system, which is a criminal misdemeanor.

“I treat everyone like I would like to be treated,”

Reavis said. “My heart goes out to callers, especially the elderly, bless their heart.

Often I just tell them to have a nice day in the end.”

Short said there are always three dispatchers on duty, four during peak hours, five during peak weekday hours. The dispatch facility can accommodate six on duty at one time.

Contact the writer at mfisher@hendersondispatch. com.

Veronica Parham, senior telecommunicator, answers an emergency call at the Vance County 911 center.

MARK DOLEJS / Dispatch Staff

The Entire Staff at

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send a Special Salute to all the Law Enforcement Officers in our area!

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A Salute

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Heroes

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Keeping ‘eyes and ears’ peeled for law enforcement

BY DON DULIN

DISPATCH CORRESPONDENT

VIPS isn’t an acronym city residents hear every day.

But Volunteers in Police Service might make a day a little safer or alert the Henderson Police Department to possible criminal activity or call for help in a medical emergency.

Wherever they are and whatever they’re doing, volunteers are “eyes and ears” for the police department, according to Officer Jessica West, the coordinator of the program.

Today’s volunteer force numbers four, two of whom have been with the program since its inception in 2006. Three have jobs, and one is retired.

Volunteers perform a variety of tasks for the police department but not before completing 40 hours of training. A background check is also required, as well as a driver’s license and three references.

Eight hours of service each month and attendance at a monthly meeting are expected.

VIPS learn to direct traffic, identify medical problems and are schooled in ethics and minorities, how to talk to people, and they become familiar with police procedures.

When volunteers are on the job, they’re easily recognizable in their orange attire. Each is provided with a polo shirt, a hooded fleece jacket and vest, a hat and a whistle. Each carries a city identification card.

Volunteers “open a line of communication” with the police department as they walk through their neighborhoods and busi-

nesses, West said.

“Citizens feel more comfortable when they see them,” West said. “People voice their concerns through them.”

“I like working with people,” one-year veteran Gwen Baskerville said.

“We to go the grocery store and walk around and go to people’s homes and give advice on how to keep the home safe.”

Volunteers may be called on to serve in a number of other spots.

They help with traffic control at parades and charity runs, serve as school crossing guards, assist with presentations at schools, man booths at public events, occasionally work in the office, attend Community Watch meetings and even take a turn ringing the bell at the Salvation Army kettle.

In other areas of service, if a volunteer comes upon a vehicle accident, he may put on the orange vest and direct traffic until police arrive. Recognizing a medical emergency, such as a seizure or dementia, VIPS call for help. In their neighborhoods, VIPS may notice increased foot traffic at a residence and alert police to a potential problem.

“You know, I can do this,” Blakely Bates recalls saying to himself when he learned about VIPS “I live here. I work here. I want to give back to the community.”

Bates, a volunteer since the beginning and a 2008 recipient of a public service award from Crime Stoppers, said he likes to talk with senior citizens and encourage kids to go to school.

“In reality, I can see in people’s faces they’re glad to see you coming through the neighborhood,” he said.

Phyllis Maynard, who

is retired, volunteered in 2006.

“I really wanted to get involved with the commuSEE VIPS/PAGE 5

MARK DOLEJS / Dispatch Staff

Blakely Bates makes his rounds along Garnett Street as part of his service through Volunteers in Police Service.

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO

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nity,” Maynard said. “I feel like it’s important because I see people out and about.

I get to talk to people on a different level.

“They see me doing it, and they see another aspect of what police and community are all about,” she said.

Volunteers are not sworn officers, West points out. They do not carry firearms and have no police powers, such as arrest.

They are not to engage suspects or otherwise put themselves in harm’s way.

While the number of volunteers is low, West said she wants to boost that number with recruit-

to

Heroes

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

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MARK DOLEJS / Dispatch Staff

Blakely Bates stops to talk with Tonya Burrell, owner of Lotus Lounge, as he makes his rounds along Garnett Street as part of his service through Volunteers in Police Service.

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Contact the writer at news@ hendersondispatch.com.

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A Salute

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Heroes

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

There’s nothing easy about riding these bikes

BY JENNIE ROBINSON DISPATCH INTERN

The bike unit of the Henderson Police Department has been protecting the community for years and has, without a doubt, performed well above the expected to protect citizens.

But becoming a bike patrol officer isn’t easy.

“We are there to serve and protect the public,” said Lt. Marshall Perry, a part-timer on the bike patrol. “We like to be with the community, one-onone.”

Rigorous training is required before becoming a member of the unit. Included actions are mounting and un-mounting a bike while moving, performing exemplary skills of bike riding such as maneuvering through traffic, racing down stairways and avoiding external conflicts.

Without the frame of a vehicle on four wheels, bike patrolmen unprotected in many ways. But they remain a part of the action and a part of the community, risking their safety to fully protect Henderson.

Bike patrolmen are often seen in community policing efforts and downtown events when streets are blocked.

Perry said the unit is similar to being one with the community.

“You can detect more and use your bikes for breaking and entering,” Perry said. “You can see and hear a lot more.”

Heroes symbolize justice, freedom and selfsacrifice. And bike patrol officers represent just

MARK DOLEJS / Dispatch Staff

Henderson Police Det. Jessica Pironis stops to talk with children before the start of the Henderson Christmas Parade. that, protecting the community they love.

Contact the writer at news@ hendersondispatch.com.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

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Community pride, adrenalin fuel volunteerism

BY JENNIE ROBINSON DISPATCH INTERN

Rewards through service to his community led Cameron Hedgepeth to become a firefighter with the Bearpond Volunteer Fire Department.

“I am a volunteer firefighter because there comes a sense of pride with helping the community and establishing the brotherhood between all of Bearpond’s members. They’re like my second family,” said Cameron Hedgepeth.

Hedgepeth is a 17-yearold student of Early College High School at Vance-Granville Community College. He got started with the department in February and expresses no regrets.

In a short time, he’s already experienced great outcomes while working with the community.

“Being a fireman gives you an adrenaline rush and a duty towards the community,” Hedgepeth said. “We at Bearpond take pride in helping and doing our part.”

In any situation, Hedgepeth is willing to stand up for his community for the betterment of the citizens. Whether it be fighting fires, or saving citizens from disaster, Hedgepeth is ready to save a life.

Hedgepeth knows that it is his duty, as well as other volunteers, to protect the community from the dangers of fire and to work with his fellow mates to save citizens, even when in some situations he is risking his life.

“Handling the pressure can be tough,” he said.

“Dealing with on-the-spot scenarios is like, wow, how does someone deal with this? But then again, you must work with what you have and do the best you can. And then I look back on the experience and say I am glad I was able to do my part in giving back to my community.”

Hedgepeth not only loves his community but also what he does. He said he volunteers for the people and knows he does not get paid to save lives.

It’s not on his mind, for every life deserves a person who is willing to risk their life without being paid to push them to do so.

Heroes stand up for

their community and loves without expecting anything in return.

Hedgepeth is one of those heroes. He is willing to risk his future to protect those in need of help.

A hero gives all he can give, and Bearpond is grateful to have people who are willing to voluntarily give up their time and energy to do just that.

“Being a fireman is an experience that gives me a reason to fight for our people,” Hedgepeth said. “I love doing my job because I work with volunteers who love it, too.”

Contact the writer at news@ hendersondispatch.com.

Thanks to the Vance County Law Enforcement Officers and EMS For Everything You Do!

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MARK DOLEJS / Dispatch Staff

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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, OUR FIRE FIGHTERS AND THE E-911 EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS AND STAFF

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