July 15, 2020
Missouri APCO proudly recognizes members of the Jefferson City Police Department’s Communications Division as Missouri Teammates in Action!
On May 22, 2019, Anna Thomas, Jennifer Cain, Don McGovern, Heather Reven, Jessica Bohannan and Supervisor Angie Stiefermann were on duty in the communications center at the Jefferson City Police Department. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Cole County, Missouri at approximately 11:30 PM and the outdoor warning sirens were activated by Operators at that time.
After receiving reports of heavy damage in Eldon, Missouri and heading towards Jefferson City, the volume of calls quickly inundated the Communications Center. Their communications center handles all 9-1-1 calls and dispatch services for Jefferson City Police, Cole County Sheriff, Jefferson City Fire Department and four separate fire protection districts. Further, they were forced to work on back-up channels to handle radio traffic due to an outage, making it difficult to track officer locations and prioritize pending calls.
As events unfolded, Meagen Schlitt and Supervisors Rachel Irey and Erin Gabathuler self-deployed to the center, driving through debris and one was forced to leave her vehicle and go on foot to meet another operator. This team had an integral part in ensuring the safety of not only their first responders but for Jefferson City & Cole County citizens as a whole. Because of their efforts, there was no loss of life or serious injury resulting from the tornado. Their work was commendable and demonstrated an incredible sense of duty and commitment.
