FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Behind every officer, firefighter, and emergency medical technician is a dispatcher with a headset, working tirelessly to help those in need.
Natisha Claypool is the assistant dispatch manager with the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD), and although she doesn't work the headset as often anymore, she says that's what created a passion for her career.
"I've been doing this for nearly 30 years, and I can put on a headset today, go answer a call, and hear something I've never heard before," Claypool said. "I've taken everything from deaths to saving an animal to helping someone report a stolen vehicle— every little bitty thing that you can think of."
Fayetteville police say their dispatch usually answers over 150,000 calls a year. Their central dispatch handles fire, police, and non-emergency calls.
"It kind of gets in your blood, I think once you put that headset on and start helping people, you see the difference that you're making in the lives of others," Claypool.
It's not just the callers going through a stressful time though. According to a preliminary report, a dispatcher listened the entire time while a woman was murdered by her husband in Fayetteville.
The report recalled how "the first responding officer could still hear the 911 operator talking on Amy's phone, which was lying next to her on the ground."
"That's happened two or three times throughout my career," Claypool said. "That's one of the reasons why we focus on mental health at the Fayetteville Police Department ... my heart is always going to be underneath the headset."
Claypool adds that the city recognized their work with a pay raise recently and that sharing their passion using the heart of a servant helps keep their headsets ready for that call.
"We are a big family here. We help each other out, lean on each other, and do things that help each other get through those times," Claypool explained. "It's the recognition that drives us and gives an understanding that what we're doing is important, and you just want to keep doing it."
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