Staff Report

Suffolk’s emergency communications center will add four new dispatchers who graduated from Basic Dispatch Training at Hampton Roads Criminal Justice Training Academy last week.

The graduation of Sandra Jackson, Kim Staton, Chantel Harrison and Sonja Worrell will bring the 911 Center up to full staff, according to Suffolk Police Lt. Debbie George.

The state mandated training, which was held in Newport News, covered topics including radio and telephone operations, legal issues, disaster planning, domestic violence and crisis intervention.

The dispatchers also passed both written and practical exams before becoming certified by the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

&uot;We are looking forward to the dispatchers now finishing their on the job training,&uot; said Police Sgt. John Marx, supervisor of the Communications Center, &uot;which they have been going through before and since this 10 days of training and becoming solo operators.

&uot;This will allow the center to get back to normality.

They are a good group and have done very well. Now it is on to hiring the call takers funded by the state wireless board.&uot;

The dispatchers have been assigned to their permanent squads, and are working on day, evening and midnight shifts.