PIERRE — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley was the guest speaker Friday Oct. 6, when 15 students graduated from the latest Basic Telecommunicator Certification Course.

“It is important to recognize the telecommunicators because they are the first voices people hear when you call 911 with an emergency who then relay the emergency information to first responders.”

Among the graduates is Jazmine Feild of the Huron Police Department.

The two-week course includes training and hands-on exercises on issues such as public safety telecommunications, how to respond to questions from the caller, how to handle both emergency and non-emergency calls for service, and how to prioritize multiple incidents happening at one time.