Berrien County Central Dispatch is making a push to attract 911 operators with some new recruitment videos.
Speaking to the Berrien County Board of Commissioners this week, Central Dispatch Director Caitlin Sampsell said the shortage of dispatchers continues, and she was thinking about how to address it when she happened to see a Facebook post from the office’s furniture provider. It was running a contest to help produce recruitment videos for clients. Sampsell entered, and Berrien County won.
“And we did recruitment videos, shooting both inside of our center and then with some of our public safety partners, like the sheriff,” Sampsell said.
The videos feature interviews with Sampsell, Sheriff Chuck Heit, Buchanan Police Chief Harvey Burnett, and actual Berrien County 911 dispatchers.
“I love my job because I love helping people, because I love being in the space where I’m needed. I love the thought of being of service to someone else, making sure that their day is better by something that I did for them,” one dispatcher said.
Sampsell said the recruitment videos lay out what it takes to be a dispatcher and why it’s rewarding. In her testimonial, she noted she worked her way up through the ranks at dispatch, proving that advancement is possible.
The county has 34 dispatchers who work 12-hour shifts, usually with five to ten dispatchers on at a time. Sampsell said the shortage of dispatchers is a national problem.
