Durango/La Plata County Communications Center has a new dispatch director.
Durango City Council approved the promotion of Kati Fox to 911 dispatch director on Tuesday. Fox holds about 15 years of dispatch experience in Durango and Archuleta County.
Fox’s promotion comes on the heels of former 911 Dispatch Director Zeta Fail’s success in obtaining a Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies accreditation for the 911 center.
The accreditation is a testament to the 911 center’s “continuous improvement” toward providing the best level of service possible, Fail said.
Introducing Fox, Durango Police Chief Brice Current said she is a Durango resident of two decades and “an incredible mother” who “balances remarkable work ethic with the demands of her personal life, all while bringing a wealth of experience and unwavering ethical standards to her role as director.”
He credited Fox with optimizing dispatch operations at the 911 center and helping build a dispatch training team.
Madrigal said Fox previously worked in the 911 center before taking a dispatch leadership role in Archuleta County. She returned to work with the city in 2023.
Fail, who received a heartwarming thanks from Current on Tuesday, is stepping away from 911 services to assist the city in its pursuit of accreditations in other departments.
Current said Fail demonstrated exemplary leadership and made invaluable contributions to the city’s 911 services.
Joining the 911 center in a temporary role in 2021, Fail made it her purpose to build trust among the dispatch team and create a strong workplace culture, he said. She returned the following year to fill the director position vacated by Derrick Walker.
In 2022, the 911 center was short staffed, but those who stuck around “weathered the storm” and “provided a blueprint for work ethic and loyalty,” he said.
The 911 center now has 20 out of 28 positions filled after updating its infrastructure, improving its work culture and obtaining its CALEA accreditation. Current said Fail’s expertise and “unwavering commitment” to team-building contributed significantly to the 911 center’s success.
“We all know Zeta. She has a remarkable talent for negotiating with a touch of southern charm. She makes you right at ease, even if it means hearing ‘bless your heart,’” Current said.
Fail couldn’t accept all the credit, she said. She was a conduit for success, and joint efforts between dispatchers and administrators, city administration and City Council elevated the 911 center to where it is today.
In January, when Fail was soliciting residents’ feedback about their experiences with 911 dispatchers to include in her bid for CALEA accreditation, she said 911 dispatch is a stressful, high stakes job that demands a lot of responsibility. Accreditation is a sign the 911 center is up to the task.
“We can go from, ‘Somebody stole my trash can’ to, ‘My baby’s not breathing’ in a matter of seconds,” she said.
On Tuesday, she said CALEA accreditation requires compliance with 209 standards and an assessment of operations and facilities by communications and public safety agencies spread across the country.
The 911 center received its accreditation after an on-site inspection in April and an appearance before a CALEA board of commissioners in late July.
“They (commissioners) had very favorable things to say about the agency and compliance with the standards,” she said.
Now, Durango is one of seven emergency communications centers in Colorado with CALEA accreditation and one of 137 accredited centers nationwide.
CALEA accreditation reduces the 911 center’s liability, helps it maintain accountability and ensures staff and leadership can analyze data and make good decisions accordingly, she said.
“The focus is on quality assurance and just a good level of service – a superior level of service – to the community here for Durango and all of La Plata County,” she said.
She said the 911 center could not have obtained the accreditation without the hard work and many hours put in by each and every employee.
cburney@durangoherald.com
