Communications Dispatcher III/Instructor/Wellness Lead
Santa Clara County Communications
Felton, California
Shannon Polito began her dispatching career for Scotts Valley Police Department in 2008 and learned the foundations of dispatching, as well as beginning her foray into more than a passing interest in CLETS. She transitioned to working for Santa Clara County Communications in 2010, where she still currently works as a Communications Dispatcher for the Law, Fire, and EMS communities. She began teaching in her agency's in-house academy, revamped the CLETS training program and rewrote the curriculum from the ground up with a heavy focus on incorporating Adult Learning theories. She attended and continues to attend DOJ training in all subjects and became a POST recognized Subject Matter Expert in the topic. She has served as CTO for the last eight years and has developed curriculum for the initial training of new CTOs and the ongoing training for the more seasoned CTOs.
Shannon received her POST Intermediate Instructor certification this year and will continue to work towards achieving Master level. She has worked closely with POST on developing several different courses and curriculums for both her agency's in-house training, as well as her instructing outside of County Communications. She currently continues to instruct at the Santa Clara County Communications academy, as well as teaching Wellness, Interpersonal Communications, and CLETS at the POST Basic Dispatch Academy at South Bay Regional Training Consortium. Shannon is also an instructor for the CCUG (California CLETS Users Group) at their chapter trainings and annual seminar where she teaches her own POST approved curriculum: "How to Make Teaching CLETS Fun" and "Cumulative PTSD in the Dispatch Environment"
Shannon found another passion outside of CLETS and also began a mission to educate dispatchers about Cumulative PTSD and the importance of mental/emotional wellness began after receiving a related training that really hit close to the heart. She immediately started diving into research, took and continues to take as many classes as she can regarding this topic, as well as anything mental/emotional wellness related. She developed her own POST approved course, and has taught that course many times over at various locations including the CCUG Seminar, and most recently at the Navigator Convention in Nashville. She is passionately driven to not just educate dispatchers and others who experience vicarious and secondary trauma due to their jobs, but to also help them realize they are not alone, and there is hope for their future.
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Wednesday, August 10, 2022
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM