Lenexa dispatcher honored at regional 9-1-1 event

The 2nd Annual Outstanding Performance Awards were presented at the appreciation event

The Kansas City Regional 9-1-1 System honored emergency communications personnel responsible for processing 9-1-1 calls during its Telecommunicators Appreciation Celebration last Friday, April 16. Ana Martens, a communications supervisor with the Lenexa Police Department, received the first ever Outstanding Supervisory Performer award during the 2nd Annual Outstanding Performance Awards, which were presented during Friday’s event.

The Outstanding Performance Awards selection committee reviewed and selected nominations from 9-1-1 dispatch center supervisors and managers throughout the region.

Martens started with the Lenexa Police Department in 1982 as a public service officer taking walk-in reports and assisting with the records division.  She soon transferred to the communications unit where she found her niche.

Knowing that dispatchers are usually the first person a citizen will have contact with when they call for help, Martens is committed to ensuring dispatchers perform at their highest ability and interact in a professional and courteous manner with the public.
           
The safety of officers on the street is a high priority in the communications center. For Martens, this is not just policy or theory, but a tragic reality. On July 13, 1991, Martens was dispatching in Lenexa when she heard radio traffic on Shawnee’s monitor involving her husband, Donald B. Gamblin, Jr., a Shawnee, Kan., police officer, who had just been killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop on I-435.  She refers to this tragedy when training new dispatchers to reinforce that a traffic stop is never just a traffic stop. 
           
Martens is bilingual and routinely handles emergency and non-emergency calls from Spanish speakers.
As a member of the Johnson County Critical Incident Stress Management Team, Martens acts as peer support for emergency personnel dealing with traumatic events. This experience helps her mentor her coworkers and know how to approach them in a way that will make them feel comfortable.
           
In Marten’s nomination for the award, she was cited for having earned the respect of the Lenexa communications unit, the department and other agencies for her hard work and dedication.  She is described as not only a supervisor but also a mentor, dispatcher, and friend, and in 2011 she will add retiree to that list.

2010 Outstanding Performance Award Recipients:
Everyday Hero Award: Greg Damron, Leawood Police Department; Kent Redford, Leavenworth Police Department; and Betty Taylor, Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Critical Incident: Traci Mahlan, Grandview Police Department
Outstanding Team Performance in a Critical Incident: David Gibbs and Cindy Staton, Miami County Sheriff’s Office; and Kara Kantola and Teresa White, Clay County Sheriff’s Office
Outstanding Supervisory Performer: Ana Martens, Lenexa Police Department
Outstanding Past Performance: Paul Breece, deceased, formerly with Overland Park Police Department