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</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Durham Emergency Communications Center logo" style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;margin-top:0;width:175.5pt;height:113.55pt;z-index:251658240;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:margin;mso-position-vertical:top;mso-position-vertical-relative:margin;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-width-relative:page;mso-height-relative:page'>
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<b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:page;mso-element-left:center;mso-element-top:-45.7pt;mso-height-rule:exactly">
<b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00538E">News Media Contact<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:page;mso-element-left:center;mso-element-top:-45.7pt;mso-height-rule:exactly">
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00538E">Beverly B. Thompson, Communications Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:page;mso-element-left:center;mso-element-top:-45.7pt;mso-height-rule:exactly">
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00538E">919.560.4123 x11229 | 919.475.2362 (mobile)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<a href="mailto:CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00538E">CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov</span></a>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<o:p> </o:p></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Calibri-Bold;color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
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<span style="font-size:50.0pt;line-height:80%;color:#00538E">News Release</span><span style="font-size:49.0pt;line-height:80%;color:#00538E;text-transform:uppercase">
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:80%;color:#D3372A">For Immediate Release: March 16, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Calibri-Bold;color:black">Durham 911 Center Invites Input Through New Public Comment Portal</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<i><span style="color:black">DECC is One of Nine CALEA-Accredited Centers in N.C.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">DURHAM, N.C. - The <a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/435/Emergency-Communications">
<span style="font-size:11.0pt">Durham Emergency Communications Center</span></a> (DECC) takes pride in being one of only nine Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Accredited Communications Centers in North Carolina. This means that
the Center maintains continued compliance with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy and procedure, administration, operations, and support services. The standards are subject to ongoing review and revision and ensures agencies are accountable
to relevant standards, and verifies they are met.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Receiving public comment is an important aspect of maintaining CALEA accreditation. To enhance its compliance with accreditation standards, DECC is now providing a way for the public to comment about the center on its website. The
<a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/5034/Accreditation-Public-Comment-Portal">public comment portal</a> can be found under the Public Information tab on the DECC webpage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#464646"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “This designation is important to us, and simply means that DECC, through our dedicated staff, including our telecommunicators, is constantly striving for excellence as we serve our residents during emergencies,” said DECC Director
Randy Beeman.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#464646"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> While comments from the public are always welcomed, the specific purpose of this portal is to support the Center’s continuous improvement efforts, in compliance with
<a href="https://www.calea.org/standards-titles">CALEA standards</a>. Those standards include providing opportunities for engagement with Durham residents, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. These comments can be
in the form of commendations or concerns.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#464646"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> For more information about the accreditation process, visit
<a href="https://calea.org/communications">CALEA.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center">###<b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Calibri-Bold;color:#00467E"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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