Women have played an important role in the history of the Grapevine Police Department, beginning with Laura Allen, the PD’s first dispatcher.
Mrs. Allen began dispatching for the fire department in 1959, and in 1965 added the police department to her duties. In the early days, dispatching was done from the station during business hours and from her home during non-business hours. Her home was equipped with radio and phone equipment.
A regular work week consisted of 119 hours, and a holiday week was 143 hours. When she first assumed the duties of police dispatcher, Mrs. Allen was given 30 minutes of instruction on the police radio and phone, then was on her own.
In addition to dispatching, Laura Allen kept records, processed reports, and generally took care of “her boys” as she called the men that worked for the department. Mrs. Allen was affectionately nicknamed “Sparky” and was a dedicated member of the police and fire departments until she retired in 1974.
We salute Laura Allen and her place in Grapevine’s history.