Major Cyrus Brown presents awards
to Duty Officer Annette Folsom.

April 7-13, 2007, is set aside as National Telecommunications Week to honor the Nation's telecommunications workers for the job they do to help ensure public safety. Every day we depend on the skill and commitment of our FHP Duty Officers, who affect numerous lives by responding to emergency calls, dispatching troopers and other law enforcement agencies, providing moral support, and delivering services in a professional manner to the citizens we serve.

Over the past few years during National Telecommunications Week, the Orlando Regional Communications Center has selected a deserving individual to receive their Duty Officer of the Year Award. The award recipient, who is chosen by a committee that bases its decision upon nominations from peers, is recognized as the duty officer who rose above the rest to do an outstanding job in a given year.

This year, Duty Officer Annette Folsom, a 5-year veteran of the Orlando Regional Communications Center (ORCC), was selected for this honor by her peers for her work during 2006-2007. She performs her job responsibilities in an exemplary manner at all times and is always courteous, polite and professional in all of her dealings with other agencies, the public, or the officers served by the ORCC.

Duty Officer Folsom has handled many and varied emergencies involving the public and officers, sending help or backup as needed. She has even handled one of the worst scenarios any law enforcement dispatcher could encounter, the death of an officer while on duty. She worked through the entire incident in a very professional manner and with great empathy, suppressing her emotions until the conclusion of the incident. Ms. Folsom also serves as a Communications Training Officer for our newly hired duty officers. Building on a solid base of knowledge and experience, she helps instill confidence in new duty officers, giving them the skills needed to perform this most vital and important job.

Everyone at Troop D extends their congratulations to Duty Officer Annette Folsom for a job well done and for being the recipient of Troop D’s Duty Officer of the Year award for 2007.

It takes a special person with unique skills to do the job of a duty officer. We appreciate all of our duty officers and thank each of them for the manner in which they serve the Florida Highway Patrol, our citizens, and the visitors of our state.

2005-2006 Award Winner