Ottawa County Dispatch employee named Technologist of the Year

Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel
·1 min read
OCCDA Executive Director Pete McWatters (left) with Ryan Culver and Deputy Director Tammy Smith at the Michigan APCO Annual Meeting.
OCCDA Executive Director Pete McWatters (left) with Ryan Culver and Deputy Director Tammy Smith at the Michigan APCO Annual Meeting.

HOLLAND — The Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority's Ryan Culver has been named the Michigan Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials' Information Technologist of the Year.

Culver, a systems support specialist, received the award at the Michigan APCO Annual Meeting in Frankenmuth on Oct. 26.

Culver helped replace all police mobile communication terminals for vehicles countywide and aided in setting up a system for secure and remote 911 call acceptance, so supervisors could assist with calls remotely during peak times.

Culver was also the lead on a project that equipped police command officers and participating fire departments with mobile access to the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system by smartphone or tablet.

“Ryan is always positive, always willing to help, always looking for a way to help our dispatchers, always looking to improve services to our partner agencies and always looking for a way to improve the services we offer to citizens,” said OCCDA Executive Director Pete McWatters.

As part of the OCCDA, Culver maintains computer systems, ensures the CAD system and dispatcher consoles work properly, updates GIS mapping, and assists with maintenance and operation of the radio system.

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Culver is also a CPR instructor and paid on-call member of the Holland Fire Department.

— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County Dispatch employee named Technologist of the Year