Honolulu Police Department working to hire dispatchers

Melody Lewellen remembers the call vividly almost a decade later.

A woman was screaming about someone trying to break into her Young Street home. The woman had a grandchild with her, and Lewellen, fielding the call as a police dispatcher, could hear wood splitting on the phone as the suspect broke into the apartment.

In total the call lasted six minutes.

"I really thought that I was going to hear her be killed on the phone," she said. "But it’s important to keep the line open so we can hear what’s going on and let the officers (know)."

Lewellen said she kept the woman on the phone, tried to reassure her and told her to secure herself in the bathroom. "She was beyond terrified," she said.

The woman and her grandson locked themselves in the bathroom and avoided the man, who had made it into the home before the police arrived.

After police detained the suspect, Lewellen learned he was trying to commit suicide by police and that moments before the break-in had attacked a random person on the street. She also heard that the female caller used a wheelchair.

Lewellen said the call is an example of why she enjoys being a police radio dispatcher: the ability to help others.

"That’s kind of priceless," said Lewellen, now a supervising police radio dispatcher. "You know that you did something or provided something that in essence helped save someone’s life. That happens all the time."

The Honolulu Police Department is seeking more people like Lewellen who enjoy helping others to work as police radio dispatchers. Applications are being accepted online through Nov. 19, and more information can be found at facebook.com/joinhpd. Details are also on the Facebook page about limited seating for information sessions about the job.

This recruiting period, one of two every year, police are hoping to fill about a third of the 30 radio dispatcher vacancies. Applicants will go through a yearlong application process that includes background checks and one year of training. The job pays $33,720 a year during training and $37,980 afterward.

One police radio dispatcher, Kendra Olds, said the work can be intense and overwhelming at times, but there is peer support available for traumatic experiences and support from the team on the floor.

Albert Battease, a supervising police radio dispatcher, said dispatchers can take thousands of calls before getting an extreme call.

"You have to be able to ramp up and perform when you get those calls," he said. "That’s one of the most difficult things about this job."

He said good candidates must have good typing and multitasking skills, and an ability to stay calm and deal with stress.

Capt. Allan Nagata of HPD’s Communications Division said the job requires a lot of training because recruits must know what officers are doing in the field in order to keep them safe.

"If you want to help others, come here," he said, adding that good candidates must be patient and willing to help when fielding 911 emergency calls. "You can be the link between life and possibly death."