California Highway Patrol honors Public Safety Telecommunicator Appreciation Week

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Sunday marks the start of National Public Safety Telecommunicator Appreciation Week.

Just last year, dispatchers at the California Highway Patrol's Monterey office handled over 118,000 9-1-1 calls and over 201,000 others.

THE CHP's Monterey office takes calls for Santa Cruz, King City, Hollister and Gilroy areas.

"You don't see their faces, but you hear them on the other side of that 9-1-1 call. They handle a great amount of stress throughout the day. Officers respond to these calls, but the dispatchers do a great job at handling that stress," Jessica Madueno with the California Highway Patrol.

Although dispatchers are considered "essential" under Monterey County's shelter in place order, they have experienced some changes to their daily work.

Madueno said dispatchers are now answering more calls related to emergencies at home. They are also required to rotate shifts in order to maintain a safe distance between employees.