Communications Division 1976

In the early 70's there was not a high population of female prisoners kept at the Wayne County Jail but there was a distinct need to have a staff of female guards, this was in contrast to the 60's when there were part time staff and also Sheriff's family members which filled the need.  The regulations were changing and covereage was needed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  The Sheriff's Office was also increasing in size and staff and there was a need for better communications with the Deputies on the Road.  To manage staff more efficiently, Matrons also covered the position of Dispatcher and eventually, as the Office became more structured and formal contracts became the norm, that became a job title, the position of Matron/Dispatcher.  The photos here are in black and white but the uniforms were a polyester material, and were a royal blue in color.   Matron/Dispatchers Fury and Furfaro The console on the left was used primarily as a backup to the console on the right, although in later years it was used to talk to the local police agencies.  In the 70's, fire service was dispatched from the Village of Lyons Fire Department along with fire department ambulances.  Other ambulace services which were not affiliated with the fire departments were dispatched from the Sheriff's Office.  The Dispatchers ran datas on vehicles for the Deputy Sheriffs with the "new" teletype which was basically a typewriter connected to a primitive database and teletype operator in Albany via telephone lines.  Computers would not come into service in Wayne County until 1985.  Prior to the teletype, operators would look up the plate number locally on index cards and would call neighboring counties on the radio to have them do the same when a plate was from an out of county source.  The map in the background has magnets with numbers on it and the operators would move them around on the map to keep track of their locations.

Matron Dispatcher Nancy Furfaro taking a call.   All calls for service were received at the front desk, a complaint card typed up and time stamped.  Deputys would come into the office at the end of their shift and type up their complaints.  Many times, each complaint would be typed by the dispatcher and placed in the notebook on the shelf.  Later, they would be archived.  The buttons below the shelf behind Nancy are to control the mail door to the jail.  Nobody entered or left the facility without passing through the main door to the facility which was controlled from this position.  The square boxs in front of Nancy on the desk is a monitor so that the Matron/Dispatcher could listen for any unusal noise within the lockup.  At this time there was not staff assigned to the cell blocks around the clock and they only made periodical checks on the inmates.

Matron/Dispatcher Nancy Fufaro

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