Joe Hornaday
Coordinating police efforts, taking complaints and phone calls from the public and responding to emergencies are all in a day’s work for Greensburg dispatcher Teri Barker.
This week, her hard work was awarded. At the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Mid-Winter Conference, Barker was named the state’s Telecommunications Operator of the Year.
Barker, who lives near Sunman, has been working full time with the Greensburg Police Department dispatch center for almost seven years. She also works part time at the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department.
“Decatur County has some of the best dispatch centers around,” Barker said. “They just work. Decatur County and Greensburg are very lucky.”
As proof, Barker pointed out that former GPD dispatcher Jeananne Cruser had won the same award last year.
Every day is different for the men and women who work at the county’s dispatch centers. From answering 911 calls to checking vehicle numbers to offering medical instructions to residents in emergency situations, it is never the same day twice.
“We stay pretty busy when we’re busy,” Barker said. “No day is ever the same.”
Sometimes, an emergency call comes in that requires her immediate attention, and that is when Barker said her adrenaline starts flowing and her job gets exciting.
“Some nights, I go home feeling like I really made a difference,” she explained. “The days I go home and feel like I really did something, those are the best.”
When an emergency call from a child comes into the station, Barker said it’s especially significant to her because she feels she is the person that child is reaching out to for help. She takes ownership of that responsibility and the outcome of that child’s safety, she said.
Her passion for her work as a dispatcher is clear to her co-workers and everyone around her, but according to Barker, it’s barely a job at all.
“This is such an awesome job,” she explained. “I don’t even want to call it a job. It’s just a passion. And we have fun here. Everybody’s great to work with. You do build a relationship with everyone.”
Barker’s name was submitted to the IACP by Greensburg Police Chief Brian Heaton. For being named Telecommunications Operator of the Year, she received an engraved award.
“She has an outstanding attitude and work ethic overall,” Chief Heaton said. “When she is around, her attitude is contagious.”
