Twenty Years Later

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Written by Jill Showalter, Director of First Impressions at Showalter & Company

Twenty years ago (May 20, 2024) is the twentieth anniversary of when I started a scary (I'm kind of being dramatic here) new career in 9-1-1. 

Prior to that, I really had no idea what working in 9-11 was all about. I had a friend who had been working in 9-1-1 for a few years, and because I lived locally, I knew some of the officers, I thought this would be easy. Boy, I was shocked about how this new career was extremely challenging.

In October 2003, I applied to be a Police Communications Officer I (PCO) with the Anne Arundel County Police Department, in my hometown. For months, I didn’t hear anything from them, so I continued with my life and even moved to a new apartment. In January 2004, I was working as a paralegal for a local law firm when unexpectedly the secretary buzzed my office and said that Anne Arundel County Police was on the phone asking for me. Feeling a bit apprehensive, I answered the call and to my surprise it was a recruiter asking if I was still interested in the position. Apparently, they sent mail to my previous address, which was returned, but they still had my current employment telephone number. I was excited at the opportunity and immediately said yes, I was extremely interested in the position. 

After my initial interview in January 2004, a very extensive background process began, commonly known as the blue book process (which if you don’t know is our life history to that point). I was sure I was only going through the motions, I thought I'd never get hired since I was 24 years old and really had no experience in the public safety world. 

In May 2004, I received an official letter offering me the position (I still have that letter). I remember being so scared, nervous, and apprehensive about this amazing opportunity. Prior to this offer, I had been living on my own, and working at a job that paid the bills, but wasn’t fulfilling or interesting anymore. Although I knew this was a chance to start something great, I was still hesitant and concerned if this was the best move for me. Rustling up courage, and fighting my fears, I accepted the position.

My first day in 9-1-1 was on my birthday, May 20, 2004, and because I was so excited, I didn’t even think about celebrating. 

For the next few weeks, I attended classroom training, learning about this new and exciting career I was taking on. Really, the only knowledge about 9-1-1 was provided by William Shatner as the host of the television program Rescue 9-1-1 (like most of us growing up in the 80’s and 90’s). 

As the days and weeks went by learning about the county, learning to read paper maps, learning what CAD was, memorizing 10-codes and nature codes and trying my hardest to memorize all of them to the best of my ability, I was quickly questioning my choice. It was so much to remember, someone’s life would be in my hands, and I had to act quickly, type quickly and apply everything we were learning in the classroom to real life situations with only seconds to decide. But I remembered someone in that department thought that I was good enough for this position and I dang sure was going to give it my all. 

Classroom training ended and they needed two or three people from my class to go to midnights because we had a large training class. I volunteered. (Spoiler alert, I loved working midnights and spent my entire ten-year career on midnights, even after I was offered a position on another shift). 

During my time training there were highs, there were lows, there were days when I doubted myself. There were other PCO’s on my shift who did not like new people and made it very clear. I remember one time my trainer got up to do something and I was sitting at the console, and I had started to tear up because it was hard, and I thought I was doing well, but the pressure and stress were real. As I'm sitting there trying to hold it together, the girl that was across from me leaned over and said, “Hey, you’re doing really well, I know it’s hard, keep it up.”  That was the moment I knew I could do this. Someone who wasn’t training me could see my potential. 

After months of training, my trainer and I separated. I went from having someone hold the bike behind me to training wheels. Someone was plugged in and listening, but it was still scary because it was all me, and at the time we had ADC (automated call distribution) so I didn’t have a choice, I could get a non-emergency line, an emergency line or a 9-1-1 line…I had no idea what would drop in my headset until I heard my recording. 

Turns out I was much better when my trainer was not sitting next to me, but on the other side of the room. Turns out I could do it all along, but I just needed to be given the chance. I'm not going to say the first few months were easy, but I will say each night I went to work I would go with a purpose and slowly I became much more comfortable and wasn’t so jumpy at the highest priority calls. 

As the months turned into years I knew I had found my calling and purpose. I knew that working as a 9-1-1 professional was where I was meant to be. At around year six, after a few years of being asked to be a CTO, I finally said yes. I knew I was good at my job; I knew I could teach, but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to be responsible for myself and another person. Being responsible for yourself every night is one thing, but for someone else also, that was a different story. 

I became an APCO Certified CTO and was immediately assigned a trainee. Turns out, I was surprisingly good at being a CTO, all my trainees in the 3-4 years I trained made it passed PCO 1 (which was me) on to PCO II training (which was someone else). I really enjoyed training. I felt bad for my last trainee in the fall of 2013. Everyone knew I was moving to California when I was assigned the trainee because at the time they didn’t want the other trainer on midnights to train her. I don’t believe she stayed much longer after I left, which was sad for me, because I don’t believe she was given a fair deal. 

I will say, my last day working in a 9-1-1 center was a sad day for me. I loved that job, but I was fixing to embark on a new journey in California with Doug. We had decided since he was closer to retirement than me, and he had a house on the beach in California, that the smartest thing was for me to move to California (and plus, did I mention a house on the beach). To this day, ten years later, I miss working in a 9-1-1 center. That career gave me so much and propelled me into something I never dreamed would have happened back in May of 2004. 

May of 2004 me, is a different me than the soon to be May of 2024 me. And you know, there is nothing different I would tell May of 2004 me, you know why, because I’m right where I need to be, doing what I love with the person I love most. 

In October 2015, Doug and I started Showalter & Company, Inc., my greatest joy. While I may not be a CTO training at a 9-1-1 console, I am doing something better. Doug and I are training those that do answer the calls and my impact on the 9-1-1 industry is much greater than working in one center with seventy people. I couldn’t be happier and prouder of who we are as a company, because after all...Showalter & Company, Inc. is mine and Doug’s LEGACY!