City Honors Dispatcher For Hostage Incident

Five years ago Lynne Kadilis switched professions, leaving 20 years of human resources experience behind for a dispatcher job at the Beaumont (Tex.) police department. Now she’s earned the comm center’s Dispatcher of the Year award for her smooth handling of a 911 call last October from a woman being held hostage by a robber. The woman used the ruse of calling the school where she worked, prompting Kadilis to ask, “Do you have a life-or-death emergency?” When the woman said, “Yes,” Kadilis realized the woman was in no position to speak freely, and began gathering information. Read about the award and listen to the 911 call here.