She's been with the police department for almost eight years.
The Harrodsburg PD dispatch center answers calls for several official agencies, including the police department, Mercer County Sheriff's Office, seven fire departments, Burgin Police Department, Emergency Medical Services, and disaster emergency services.
Currently there are four dispatchers switching shifts to cover the area 24 hours a day.
On light days, each dispatcher receives about 25 calls per 12-hour shift. Heavy days yield about 120 calls per dispatcher each shift, Napier said.
A very busy job
Vehicle accidents make up a lot of 911 calls, sometimes numbering 20 or more calls for one accident. Dispatchers are responsible for notifying the police and EMS, as well as other agencies, she said.
If someone knocks over a telephone pole with their vehicle, dispatchers also contact the telephone or electric companies as well.
Even while juggling phone calls, dispatchers have to file paperwork concerning emergency protective orders, arrests, warrants, and subpoenas to name a few.
All actions of law enforcement officials have to be logged when officers respond to a call, and dispatchers are responsible for taking down the information and keeping record of all police action.
Although all of Napier's 911 calls are fairly memorable, there are a few that stick out in her mind.
One time a 3-year-old girl called and Napier thought it was going to be "one of those days," when kids get out of school and call 911 to play music through the telephone or hang up.
Instead, the girl asked, "How are you doing?"
"I said I was doing fine," Napier said. The girl, a daughter of a Lexington firefighter who lives in Harrodsburg, called the center and explained that she understood how hard dispatching could be.
"She knew that dispatchers weren't very honored people," Napier said.
Another time, a student called needing help with a math problem. Napier told her that the reason she called didn't warrant a 911 response.
"And then she said, 'But my mom said if you ever need help, you can call 911,'" Napier said with a laugh.
"Before I started dispatching, I never had any idea what people would call about."
Lisa Smith, a dispatcher, got tired of working at a fast food restaurant and decided to try dispatching for a while. She's worked at the Harrodsburg PD for almost a year.
"I spent 15 years working at McDonald's and I was ready for a change," she said. "It's a really exciting job, but you never really know until you try it."
The community is helpful, and the dispatch center often receives calls from the same people. As for what call she remembers most, "they all have uniqueness," she said.
"It's a lot of work, and there are a lot of scary moments," Smith said. "But you never have a boring day."
