Calltaker Jennifer Demers of Dispatch received a letter of commendation from Leonard Atencio, a teacher with the Birney Elementary School in Pico Rivera. Mr. Atencio was impressed with Calltaker Demers' professionalism and her willingness to extend herself beyond her duties. Mr. Atencio wrote:

"On Friday May 23, 2008, I and two of my colleagues took our seventy three fifth grade students on a field trip to Sunset Beach. We were completing our visit to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Conservancy with a planned beach cleanup. Halfway along the beach our kids encountered a dead seal, apparently mutilated or attacked and newly washed ashore. Our group continued on with the cleanup while I attempted to inform an agency about the seal. Unfortunately, there were no lifeguards on duty.

After calling a couple of numbers given to me by a resident I was put in contact with a young lady named Jennifer at the Orange County Sheriff's Department. She transferred my call to a number which was no longer in service. After the second time, Jennifer took the initiative and setup a conference call with me while she attempted, over the next 45 minutes, to find an agency willing to take the information I was trying to report. She made a number of calls to various groups and organizations expertly, efficiently, patiently, assertively and politely guiding us through this phone maze in order to get me in contact with the right people. More...