Dalton Campbell more than follows the high standards and expectations of the patrol team for #205 Omaha. Dalton often exceeds them. Joining Signal 88 in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was settling in, Dalton pressed onward in his new role as a dedicated officer.
“Dalton showed great promise to take on more responsibilities,” says Nate Ridenour, Signal 88 Operations Manager of Omaha. “Dalton was then given the opportunity to be in charge of one of our valuable dedicated sites that takes a lot of awareness and personal interaction. We knew he would be perfect for that role.”
Dalton’s promotion to dedicated site lead suits his focused and steady personality. Since July, he has been the Signal 88 lead over the Immanuel Village campus that provides housing communities for independent living, assisted-care, skilled nursing, long-term care, and memory support for older adults.
“With only one officer onsite for overnight security, it is a lot of work to stay on top of respective responsibilities,” Nate explains. “Dalton has led his team in being one of the most squared-away sites in our franchise.”
For three-and-a-half night shifts each week, Dalton is the solo officer patrolling the interior and exterior of three large resident buildings for the Immanuel Village client. Because these particular senior living facilities are located in a rougher neighborhood, Dalton stays at the alert to keep vagrants and troublemakers under the influence off the property.
Dalton notes that the patrol duty requires “being flexible because you never know exactly what's going to happen. You could be doing one thing and you get a phone call and you're doing something completely different the next minute.”
Dalton’s flexibility and responsiveness helped him protect the lives of two residents in early and late September. About 3:30 a.m. on September 1, Dalton was completing his parameter rounds when he spotted an elderly man standing on the sidewalk near the parking lot. Dalton approached the gentleman and inquired if he was okay.
“I noticed that he had one of the key fobs so I knew that he belonged in the building. But he was really, really confused and talking about how he didn’t want his wife to hit the kids on the bikes in the parking lot,” Dalton recalls. “So I helped him sit down on the nearby stairs and put my coat around him.”
Dalton then rushed to back of the building to get help and received a call from his supervisor saying a nurse reported a door alarm going off. Dalton alerted the nurse to the resident and grabbed a wheelchair to helped the gentleman back inside and to his room before helping turn off and reset the door alarm.
A few weeks later, Dalton found another male resident outside, laying on the grass about 6:45 a.m. The elderly man was walking his dog, got caught up in the leash and fell, striking his head on the sidewalk.
“His head was bleeding so I ran inside to get the night nurse, Rory, and we back to the man. Rory called paramedics and I put my coat over the gentleman to keep him warm,” Dalton shares. “I took the dog back to the man’s room and then waited for the paramedics to take him to the hospital.”
Assisting and protecting wherever he’s needed is all in a night’s work for Dalton. The husband and father of three young daughters understands the importance of being fully alert to his surroundings whether at home or at work.
“You’ve got to care about what you’re doing. You’ve got to be dependable and care about people,” Dalton says. “I really care about the residents I take care of—there’s a couple of them that I’ve become good friends with since I’ve been at this site.”
Dalton has shown his awareness of detail on a major scale by providing assistance to these two separate residents. That is the exact kind of security we pride ourselves in,” Nate adds, “providing a safe and secure environment where these elderly residents can feel comfortable and safe not only inside their properties but outside as well. Dalton has worked steadily with no complaints and he’s a respectful professional.”
Dalton’s quick action in helping others and his rock-solid professionalism has earned him October Officer of the Month. We’re proud you’re a vital part of the Signal 88 family, Dalton. Congratulations!