Bel Air Police Dispatcher Honored For Service

BEL AIR, MD — The town of Bel Air honored a police dispatcher who is moving on to a new job.

After more than four years, Jessica Carpenter is leaving the Bel Air Police Department to become a recruit officer in Baltimore County.

Officials highlighted two calls for service in recent years where they said Carpenter shone.

In one case, she was monitoring the town's surveillance system when she alerted officers that three men on the Hickory Avenue parking garage roof appeared to have a gun on Oct. 29, 2020.

"They had discarded a BB pistol from the rooftop of the garage," Bel Air Mayor Kevin Bianca said.

In another case, she quickly directed officers to a Majors Choice resident who had suffered a heart attack on Sept. 2, 2018, enabling police to save the individual's life in what Bianca described as a "near tragic call." She remained "calm and composed" and was awarded the Chief's Exceptional Service Award for her work.

The mayor presented Carpenter with a certificate of appreciation from the town and Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners Monday night at the Bel Air Town Hall meeting. Afterward, the police department held a celebration downstairs in her honor.

"What a big loss for us, but what a huge gain for the Baltimore County Police Department," Bel Air Police Chief Charles Moore said. He noted she would be missed for her work and her attitude.

"She's got a really good sense of humor," he said, and "a lot of wit."

Carpenter is expected to begin her new job at the Baltimore County Police Department later in December.