Last week, APCO International 2021 Annual Conference & Expo hosted more than 3,800 public safety communications operators at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in beautiful San Antonio, TX. It was a premier event for public safety communications officials, from frontline telecommunicators to comm center managers to public safety communications equipment and services vendors. Radius Security attended the event as one of the exhibitors on Monday, August 15th, and Tuesday, August 16th. This time, we set a new record of mug printing with more than 450 mugshots during the two full-day of the exhibition. After debriefing with our team about our experience from the conference, here are the highlights from it:

Not All Heros Wear Capes

The key role of telecommunications personnel in the public safety community is crucial in successfully assessing an emergency. Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to answer, triage, dispatch, and update calls, dispatchers often sacrifice and dedicate their holidays and long weekends to serve their communities. In fact, an estimated 240 million calls are made to 9-1-1 in the U.S. each year. Their tremendous dedication to assisting callers, law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical services is beyond admirable. Did you know that every second week of April celebrates the National Public Safety Telecommunicator's Week, in which organizations like APCO highlight the story of #HeadsetHeroes? Of course, you don't have to wait until next April to thank a public safety telecommunicator - You can share your appreciation for their hard work in so many creative ways. We can't thank them enough for everything they do to create a better and safer community, state, and country for the public. 

#IAM911 Is Still Going Strong

We couldn't help but notice #IAM911 trending everywhere on attendees' shirts and the event merchandise. We learned that the hashtag was created by Allegan County Sheriff's dispatch supervisor, Ricardo Martinez, in 2016 to reclassify the role of 9-1-1 Public Safety Telecommunicators. The idea of this movement was suggested in his podcast "Within the Trenches" to connect with fellow industry professionals and encourage them to share their work experiences. It has since grown into a worldwide movement from Canada and the U.K. to Australia and New Zealand, giving emergency dispatchers a platform to share calls that have long-lasting impacted their lives. Supporters of the movement also include comments from callers sharing their experience on the subject and thanking the dispatchers who were there for them when they needed it the most. This inspiring movement that started with a humble hashtag is still growing and thriving on social media to raise awareness of call dispatchers' occupational value to public safety. Learn more about it from the creator himself at Within the Trenches' website. 

We Are Proud to Support Dispatcher EVERY STEP of the Way

Radius Security's Command Center Operators work very closely with the local dispatchers of the crime-in-progress. From calling 9-1-1 telecommunicators to providing instant updates on the suspects during the dispatch, we understand the importance of quick, accurate and verified information. The security system industry's typical 98% false alarm rate represents many missed opportunities in responding to true crimes in progress. It is why our team of security specialists has been committing to achieve and maintain less than 1.4% of the false alarm rate with the help of video analytics using our proprietary Redhanded Human Detection Technology™. Additionally, our tools and resources allow dispatchers to view live video of the crime while our operators constantly provide necessary information about the incident. We commit to supporting public safety communications officials in any way we help to have everything they need to do their job successfully.

Lastly, many thanks from the bottoms of our hearts to this great workforce! It has been an honour to connect with individuals who believe in the same mission we have since 1977 to protect and keep our communities safe. Visit our website for more information about security technologies, and follow us on social media for more upcoming events.