Emergency Services Dispatcher
Business and Administration
Kent Campus
As an Emergency Services Dispatcher with Police Services, Mallory Grafton lives in an environment of alternating calm and crisis, with a few mundane or routine calls punctuated by an emergency. Dispatchers receives calls, prioritizes them and determines what services are required and dispatches resources to address each distinctive incident.
Two incidents that occurred this past year exemplify the professional services that Grafton consistently provides to the community. In February, she received a call from a distraught man whose friend was having a medical emergency that required CPR. The man’s emotional state made it difficult to obtain critical information and then segue into instructions for medical assistance that would be critical for the victim’s survival. Grafton was able to calm the person, and redirect them into providing intermediary care, with the assistance of another person who was present, that led to a successful call and the timely arrival of first responders. In another incident Grafton received a call from a man having a panic attack who was contemplating suicide. The man was in an apartment building off campus, but the 911 cell phone could not provide exact location information. Grafton talked to the man for 40 minutes, and her calm, caring, and empathetic approach was successful in getting him to provide his location and talking him away from the balcony on the upper floor where he contemplated jumping. The Kent Police arrived, and he was transported for mental health assistance. Grafton performs her duties with calm, composure, and grace, providing critical services to Kent State and the extended community.