May 20th, 2022
The Mobile Police Department recognizes Whiney Adams as the Civilian Employee of the Month for April 2022. Beginning her career with the Communications Unit in September 2019, Adams is a public safety dispatcher. She has consistently demonstrated a zeal for excellence in serving the community and keeping her officers safe daily. She frequently volunteers to take the busiest channels or patch when needed without a single complaint.
On April 11, 2022, an incident took place that demonstrated how great of a job she does each day, and how correctly and quickly handling an in-progress situation can positively affect an outcome. Over 10 hours into her night shift, Adams received a call involving a domestic violence situation on southbound I-65 between Government Blvd. and I-10. A female stated that she was assaulted earlier in the day by her boyfriend, the suspect, and he was trying to take her phone from her while he was driving.
The call taker obtained the vehicle description and continued updating the call screen with the caller’s location and other pertinent information. Adams had Precinct 2 and Precinct 4 patched at the time due to personnel shortage. The call screen was entered at 5:30 a.m., and even with nonstop radio traffic during that time, Adams dispatched this call within a minute. She relayed all information the officers needed in order for them to spot the vehicle and made them aware of the violent tendencies of the suspect.
She continued updating them over the radio with the caller’s location as it was being received. At 5:48 a.m., 18 minutes into the call, an officer saw the vehicle and attempted to have him pull over. Instead of complying, the suspect began speeding up. The officer stated the suspect was now refusing to stop. At this point, Adams immediately advised everyone she had a vehicle pursuit and patched the entire city so any unit in the area could offer assistance as well as be aware that the pursuit was taking place.
Adams followed dispatch policy and procedures regarding vehicle pursuits perfectly and utilized the echo procedure to repeat the most important information. During the chase, the suspect started driving through yards and backed out of one of the driveways he entered and charged toward the officer’s patrol car with his vehicle.
The officer lost sight of the vehicle after getting out of his path, but fortunately, Adams’ trainee was still on the phone with the victim and able to give their updated location. The officer quickly found the vehicle again and followed the suspect to another location where he pulled into a driveway again. The officers then advised that they had the suspect at gunpoint until they were able to take him into custody at 6:01 a.m.
Adams skillfully and proactively handled this call from start to finish. Largely due to her exceptional performance, the victim was safely taken out of a dangerous and volatile situation. A violent abuser was taken off the streets and officers were able to safely return to their homes and families that morning. This is just one incident of countless others where Adams has consistently operated with skill and excellence. She takes pride in serving the city and does everything she can to ensure the safety of officers and citizens.
MOBILE POLICE DEPARTMENT