Public Safety Telecommunicators Week
Office of the Texas Governor Greg Abbott • April 13, 2020
From the Office of the Governor
Public Safety telcommunicators are rarely seen during emergencies, but these men and women who serve our communities across the state help to save lives every day. These "unseen first responders," which included 9-1-1 operators, dispatchers and other communications specialists, answer calls for help and use their invaluable communication and decision-making skills to address the needs of the caller as the emergency dictates. They think and respond rapidly and respond rapidly and often creatively to reassure frightened, upset and confused callers while at the same time maintaining the calm, professional, and disciplined demeanor that handling a 9-1-1 call requires.
By providing critical assistance in times of great need, public safety telecommunicators have made countless contributions to public safety in our state. Texas has almost 600 public safety answering points where over 4,000 telecommunicators answer 9-1-1 calls, with a large percentage of those calls now coming from wireless phones. The Commission of State Emergency Communications works with telecommunicators and local and state governments to ensure Texans have reliable access to emergency telecommunication services. Every year, the commission designates a week in April for an awareness campaign to highlight the many contributions and achievements of public safety telecommunicators.
At this time, I encourage all Texans to learn more about the vital role these communications professionals play in our everyday lives and to extend their appreciation and gratitude to public safety telecommunicators. Their strength and expertise in times of crisis and emergency ensure Texans receive the help they need when they need it most.
Therefore, I, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim April 12-18, 2020, to be Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Texas, and urge the appropriate recognition whereof.
Mandatory Workshops Scheduled for Applicants
ETCOG announces that $3.1 million in grants from the Office of the Governor's (OOG) Public Safety Office have been awarded to East Texas jurisdictions and nonprofit organizations. These funds are aimed at enhancing public safety and supporting victims of crime. The program’s mission is to strengthen Texas communities by supporting initiatives that help victims recover and feel secure while also preventing crime through programs that: Prevent juvenile delinquency and support truancy prevention Provide services to victims of crime and address violence against women Support law enforcement and improve the criminal justice system Prevent child sex trafficking, bring justice to its perpetrators, and restore victims ETCOG's Public Safety Division assists jurisdictions in applying for these funds annually, and applications submitted for funding are ranked and scored by the ETCOG Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, which is comprised of local subject-matter experts from across the region. The following Victims of Crime Act, Justice Assistance, Violence Against Women Act, and Juvenile Assistance grants totaling $3,136,019.36 have been approved by the OOG for funding in East Texas: Victims of Crime Act Funds - $2,528,962.18 The Crime Victims Assistance Grant Program (VOCA) devotes resources to providing direct services to victims of crime to help them recover and navigate the justice system.
