Dispatchers who answer emergency calls for the Denton County Sheriff's Office took home six awards at the DENCO Area 9-1-1 District's annual banquet, including team honors tied to a severe storm that drove call volume up sharply, according to an account published Monday in the Cross Timbers Gazette.
The team award
The division's Telecommunicator Team of the Year award went to 11 dispatchers for their work during the Sept. 21, 2025, severe weather event. The account does not say how many calls the center took that day. The team included Sofia Whitmire, Robert Byrd, Loryn Thomas, Adam Warfel, Jamye Arrington, Stephen Hodgson, Nicole Heyer, Rocio Rodriguez, Bre Garrett, Brandon Shields and Sherry Stone.
Individual honors
- Telecommunicator of the Year: Stephen Hodgson, who coordinated help and radio traffic during a critical incident involving an armed suspect and a Justin police officer.
- Supervisor of the Year: Brandon Shields, credited with more than 1,000 hours of training while working a radio channel and supervising his team.
- Operations Professional of the Year: Communications Assistant Manager Brittany Sparks, the division's only staff member with the EMD-Q quality-assurance qualification for emergency medical dispatch.
- Trainer of the Year: Emily Lopez, who has logged more than 1,100 hours of training since joining the agency in 2019.
- Silent Hero: Adam Warfel, recognized for his work ethic, attitude and the mentoring he gives coworkers.
The article, written in the sheriff's office's voice and credited to a contributing writer, did not give the date of the banquet or include comments from the sheriff or from district officials.
Sources
Cross Timbers Gazette
