Nok-Noi Ricker, Bangor Daily News (Maine) Staff

BANGOR, Maine — A dispatcher for the Bangor Public Safety Communications Center was promoted last week to the newly formed position of communications supervisor, Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards announced Thursday.

Jill Bechtold, who was hired by the Bangor Police Department as a dispatcher in 2006 and who has several certifications in her field, was promoted on July 13.

“Jill’s experience, knowledge and training are expected to make her a valuable asset,” Edwards said.

Bechtold, who started out as an emergency medical technician and later became a certified dispatcher, graduated from Northwood High School in Nappanee, Ind., and attended college in Mishawaka, Ind.

She started out as a volunteer EMT for Osolo EMS in Osolo, Ind., and worked there in the early 1990s, while also working as a full-time volunteer police officer for the Wakarusa Police Department, a post she held for four years.

Bechtold earned her advanced emergency medical dispatch certifications through the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch in 1994. She next became a full-time dispatcher for Elkhart County (Indiana) Public Safety, a post she held until 2000.

Bechtold is a licensed state of Maine emergency medical dispatcher, a certified terminal operator, and is certified in both CPR and first aid.

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