A quick-thinking dispatcher has earned high praise for her role in cracking a potentially dangerous hit-and-run case in White Settlement, Texas. According to the White Settlement Police Department, Dispatcher Deborah Stephens assisted officers in identifying a suspect who had struck a home with their vehicle and fled the scene, also causing a hazardous gas leak.
Chief Cook publicly recognized Stephens for her commendable work, after an on-scene investigation by the Patrol Division led to the retrieval of video footage that failed to provide a clear picture of the fleeing vehicle's license plate. Stephens turned to the department's Flock Safety License Plate Reader system and located a vehicle matching the description from the video. This vital piece of information propelled the case forward, finding a possible license plate, and leading to a detective being assigned to the case. All while the officers were still piecing together the hazy details of the crash.
The diligent response from the Criminal Investigations Division took them to an apartment complex on the 8700 block of Calmont in Fort Worth, where they located the suspect vehicle and the driver behind the baleful hit-and-run. The swift resolution of this case was largely attributed to Stephens's astute management of the data available to her, despite its initially limited scope, leading to the suspect being found.
"Great job Dispatcher Stephens, Officer G. Ramirez and Detective C. Page!" the White Settlement Police Department exclaimed, documenting an official letter of commendation and an email from the victim commending the employees' efforts, both of which have been instituted into their files, hence the commendation stands as recognition of their unwavering dedication and the collective effort that underscores the resolution of such cases in our communities.
