Hawkins County 911 Receives National Technology Leadership Award

In 2022, Executive Director Lynn Campbell presented a case to the Hawkins County 911 Board of Directors: if funding limitations made it difficult to hire additional 911 call takers and dispatchers, we had to find a way to support our team by leveraging technology—technology that could ease their workload and increase efficiency without compromising service.

Our Board, not only listened, they acted—by creating a Systems Administrator position and committing to ensuring Hawkins County 911 would have the tools needed to serve our citizens effectively.

That commitment was recently recognized on the national stage.

At the APCO2025 International Conference, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) awarded Hawkins County 911 the Technology Leadership Award for a Small/Medium Emergency Communications Center. According to APCO, this award recognizes communications centers with 1 to 75 employees that use technological advancements to benefit their centers, employees, and the communities they serve.

This honor reflects the innovation and dedication of our team, and we are proud to share that our Systems Administrator, Josh Ball, was present to accept the award on behalf of our district.

APCO International is a global leader in supporting public safety communications professionals through advocacy, education, and technology—making this recognition especially meaningful.

As Executive Director Lynn Campbell, I want to thank our Board of Directors for their continued support—and most importantly, thank our headset heroes for their unwavering commitment to the people of Hawkins County.

Left to Right: APCO Immediate Past President Becky Neugent; APCO President Stephen Martini; Hawkins County 911 Systems Administrator Josh Ball accepting the Technology Leadership Award on behalf of Hawkins County 911; L3Harris Fred Gallart; APCO First Vice-President Jack Varnado; and APCO Second Vice-President Michael O’Connor.