Tracey Laorenza-Trask is the Editor of South of Heaven Press. In 2018, she partnered with Jim Marshall and co-edited The Resilient 9-1-1 Professional: A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving & Thriving Together in the 9-1-1 Center, a book that brought together an unprecedented group of subject matter experts in 9-1-1 emergency response, public-safety, mental health, organizational health, and pubic administration. Tracey also contributed as one of the authors to the book as well.

 

Tracey currently serves as the Administrative Operations Manager of the Public Safety Department at a community college in Massachusetts. She believes the continued education of dispatchers is vital to stay current with the latest developments within state and federal laws, latest technologies, latest happenings, and to keep their skills sharp. 

 

Tracey began her career in 9-1-1 in Michigan as a call-taker and radio operator in 1998. In 2000, she was promoted to Communications Training Officer (CTO). In 2002, Tracey became a working Shift Leader where her responsibilities included being the Terminal Agency Coordinator (TAC), back up Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) coordinator, as well as a point of contact for the 800 MHz radio system. However, it was also during this time that she became responsible for overseeing the CTO program, which included the training of newly hired dispatchers as well as the continued education/training of current dispatchers. She routinely participated in writing and revising the CTO manual to continuously improve upon the training methods and material used to train new hires. It was her work with the CTO program and continuing education of current dispatchers that earned her the Civilian of the Year award for her department in 2003.

 

Tracey became a trainer for Macnlow and Associates from 2007-2009. During that time, she partnered in creating, writing, and teaching the training class, When the Caller is a Kid. 

 

Tracey was also actively involved in the 9-1-1 Dispatch Academy at Oakland Community College from 2008-2016. Throughout the eight years Tracey spent at the academy, she was involved in all facets of the academy: orientation, interviewing potential candidates, creating classes at the outset of the academy and ultimately training.

 

Tracey returned to her home state of Massachusetts in 2016 where she began dispatching for a private college in Boston. She spent three years there and developed an eye for all things “Clery” related. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) is the federal law that requires colleges and universities across the United States to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. This became another avenue for Tracey to not only use her writing skills but allowed her to assist in creating training programs as required by the federal government, and work with multiple departments within the college to create safety and security practices for staff and students. 

 

In 2019, Tracey moved on to the community college where she is currently employed. She is responsible for all things related to communications, as well as compiling and writing the federally mandated Annual Security Report for the Clery Act. She is currently going through the process of becoming a nationally recognized certified Clery Compliance Officer (CCO) through the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals (NACCOP).

 

Tracey holds a Master of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Criminal Justice.