Founder

Ryan J. Dedmon, M.A.
Founder

In 2002, I started my law enforcement career at the Anaheim Police Department (Anaheim, CA).  In 2005, I promoted to a Police Communications Operator and answered 9-1-1 calls for nine years.  While at the Anaheim Police Department, I had the honor of working with some of the finest men and women in emergency communications in Southern California.  It was an exciting job and I have some crazy stories.

I had the opportunity to design, develop, implement, and supervise different programs to build relations with the city I served.  I created the Greeting Card Project that allowed our department to send condolence cards to express our deepest sympathy to agencies across the nation who lost officers in the line of duty.  I created the Proclamation Project, a public awards program which honors children who do an extraordinary job calling 9-1-1 to request emergency assistance.  For several years, I taught a class at our department’s Citizen Academy, training citizens how to call 9-1-1 along with other emergency reporting tips.  I coordinated an educational program in which police and fire dispatchers visited local elementary schools and held assemblies to teach children about the 9-1-1 Emergency System.  I also served on the department’s Social Media Team, responsible for sharing important information with the public through various social media channels.

I accomplished the highest honors for my work during my tenure.  In 2012, the California Public-Safety Radio Association honored me with the “Telecommunicator of the Year” award, the organization’s highest honor for dispatchers in Southern California.  I received the Anaheim Police Department’s “Randall Gaston Community Service Award” two yearsin a row for strengthening relationships with the community through programs, service, and education.  I have been publicly recognized by the American Legion Society and the non-profit organization 9-1-1 For Kids.

In the last six months of my employment, I handled two different suicide calls, both by gunshot.  After the second incident, I had difficulty coping with those calls as they were mentally and emotionally taxing beyond what I could withstand.  After much thought and consideration, I respectfully and voluntarily resigned my position with the Anaheim Police Department in November 2013.  It is now my goal to continue strengthening relationships between police and the public they serve, and also raise awareness among first-responders to help dispel the negative stigma associated with coming forward and asking for help.

I have a Master of Arts degree in forensic psychology from Argosy University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Biola University, graduating “Cum Laude”.  I also hold a California Dispatch P.O.S.T. Certificate from the Goldenwest College Criminal Justice Training Center.  In the past, I have worked in the field as a sworn police officer, and prior as a cadet.  I attended the Fullerton College Police Academy for my Basic P.O.S.T. Certificate and a re-certification course at the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy.

I am actively involved with Project 999, a non-profit organization managed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council that provides assistance to the families of fallen officers in Orange County, CA.   I have also done work with 9-1-1 For Kids, a non-profit organization that specializes in developing educational materials to teach children about the 9-1-1 Emergency System.