Kayla Key is the newest police communications operator (PCO) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department (UMBPD). As we celebrate Key as our April Spotlight Officer, we also celebrate all of our PCOs during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which is April 9-15. 

Key joined UMBPD after working at Starbucks for six years. “I became a PCO because this job allows me to help citizens — not only through my multitasking skills — but by communicating and listening to the emergencies and needs to bring our community together,” she says.

As a new PCO, Key says she’s starting to be able to match voices and faces to our police and security officers. She’s also learning the relationship between dispatchers, police officers, security officers, and the communities we serve. With just a month on the job, Key says she’s getting to navigate the system through hands-on practice. 

“I like seeing the pace of how fast calls come in and are solved effectively in minutes,” says Key. “It’s amazing teamwork! Between our police and dispatchers, our community is truly safe. We’re just an arm's reach or a phone call away.”

In the future, Key hopes to become an FBI profiler. Outside of work, she enjoys brunches, sleeping, spending time with friends, and traveling. She hopes to one day visit Bora-Bora!