Dispatcher of the Year honored

A Madera County dispatcher has been recognized for her work in assisting law enforcement.

At an awards ceremony held April 14 at Pardini’s Catering and Banquets in Fresno, Sheriff’s Office Dispatcher Erica Hefner-Dawson was named Dispatcher of the Year for 2016. Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney presented Dawson with the award personally at the event, which had been put on by the California Highway Patrol’s Central Division in Fresno.

“She was elected to this honor by her peers,” Varney said. “Erica is always a huge help, very dependable, very eligible in all aspects of her duties. Quick, thorough and helps the deputies ... always willing to go above and beyond.”

Dawson, a Madera native, served in the U.S. Army, working from 1999 to 2001 as an information systems analyst in the Post Command Center.

She became a Madera County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher in 2009. She was previously honored as Dispatcher of the Year in 2010 and 2011.

Dawson’s award was given at the closing of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, meant to highlight safety dispatchers nationwide.