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​San Diego Association of Public Safety Dispatchers

Garrin P. Smith, MPA

San Diego Police Department, Dispatch Administrator 

Garrin has served in law enforcement for the past 26 years.  In his role as a Dispatch Administrator, Garrin manages the overall operations of the 9-1-1 dispatch center for the City of San Diego. The center employees 170 emergency dispatchers and receives over one million telephone calls a year.

Garrin holds a Master of Public Administration from National University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development from San Diego Christian College.  He has a true passion for shaping the professional lives of those currently serving as public safety dispatchers as well as those seeking careers in the industry.  Garrin was recently hired as an Adjunct Instructor at Grossmont College in the Administration of Justice Department where he will be teaching the POST Public Safety Dispatcher Academy.

Melissa Lotero

San Diego Sheriff's ESD, retired

AT&T 911 Government Solutions Specialist Trainer

​Melissa was a dispatcher with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department from 1996-2017. As a dispatcher she had numerous assignments, duties and responsibilities including Communications Training Officer, Sheriffs Radio Academy instructor, Miramar College POST Basic Dispatcher Academy instructor and member of the Sheriff's dispatcher recruiting team.   Melissa is a POST Master Instructor. 

Melissa is an adjunct professor at Grossmont College where she teaches and coordinates the POST Basic Dispatch Academy.  She has been teaching and creating classes for the association since 2005. 

Classes: Strategies for Handling In Progress Calls, CTO Update: OJT for Dispatchers

Geoff Weiss

San Diego Sheriff's, Communications Supervisor

Classes:  Field Tactics for Dispatchers, Fundamentals of Supervision

Rhonda Lockwood

San Diego Harbor Police Department

Classes:  Legal Updates in 911

Jeff Hebert

San Diego Sheriff's, Communications Manager

Jeff is a communications manager with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and has been with the department since 1995. During his time with the Sheriff's Department, he has been a communications training officer, academy instructor, and training supervisor.

Jeff is a subject matter expert in public safety interoperability communications and is a Lead Instructor for the San Diego-Imperial County Regional Communications System.  He is Chairman of the San Diego Law Enforcement Assistance Network committee (www.sdlean.org)and serves on the Public Safety Dispatcher Advisory Council for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

Classes:  Conflict Management in the Communications Center, Communications Technology: Past, Present & Future   

Tiffany Walker

San Diego Harbor Police Department

Tiffany has been the Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor with the San Diego Harbor Police Department since 2003. Prior to Harbor Police, she worked as a Police Dispatcher for the Coronado Police Department and the San Diego State University Police Department. She has worked in Public Safety since 1988.

Tiffany is a Communications Training Officer, has completed the forty hour POST Instructor Development Course, and is a certified CLETS/NCIC and RCS instructor for the Harbor Police.

Classes:  Legal Updates in 911

Mellissa Santagata

San Diego Police Department, Dispatch Administrator

San Diego Association of Public Safety Dispatchers

Instructors

Nancy Amador

San Diego Sheriff's, Communications Supervisor, retired

Classes:  Courtroom Testimony for Dispatchers