Full Notification

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is pleased to congratulate Communications Dispatch Supervisor Pennye Sasaki-Benda, who received the National Law and Order Individual Award from the Military Order of the World Wars, Colonel George C. Woolsey Chapter 113 (MOWW) in Santa Barbara.  Every year, MOWW recognizes a select group of first responders who are leaders in the public safety field for their outstanding performance.  This year, six first responders were honored at a recognition luncheon yesterday, April 19, 2016, at the Elks Lodge of Santa Barbara.

Pennye Sasaki-Benda, a 23-year-veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was recognized for her consistent outstanding performance as a Communications Dispatch Supervisor. In this role, Mrs. Sasaki-Benda is tasked with not only supervising the performance of the dispatchers on her shift, but she is also required to cover a console herself. This includes answering 911 calls, non-emergency calls, entering calls for service for Santa Barbara County Sheriffs, Fire, and Medics all while dispatching radio calls for service and maintaining the tracking of units that she is dispatching.

One of the most challenging phone calls that Mrs. Sasaki-Benda handles multiple times throughout her shift is medical emergencies. The reporting party on these calls is often understandably panicked and in dire need of help. One of the most valuable services that Communications Dispatchers provide the community is Emergency Medical Dispatching, where they provide possible life-saving instructions during those critical moments that it takes for help to arrive. In May, July, and August of 2015, Mrs. Sasaki-Benda instructed callers how to render emergency first aid, which resulted in helping to save lives. Thanks to her expertise in handling these challenging calls, Mrs. Sasaki-Benda currently holds the record for the most “Saves” in one year with a total of three in 2015.

The Sheriff’s Office and the communities we serve are indebted to Mrs. Sasaki-Benda for her consistent, outstanding performance.  We appreciate MOWW for going out of its way to recognize public safety workers throughout our communities and across the nation.