On July 29, 2021, after 25 years as a police dispatcher for the Town of Apex, Wayne Faber turned off the scanner, took off the headset and walked away.
Faber couldn’t really think of a time he wasn’t interested in public safety and helping the community. This 45-year resident of Apex shared that he was one of the first participants in the Apex High School Law Enforcement Explorer Post, a program created by the scouting community and designed to appeal to burgeoning police officers.
From there, after graduating from Apex High School in 1983, Faber transitioned to the Apex Junior Rescue Squad, another community-based organization that supported the efforts of the local EMS.
With public service and public safety in his DNA, the 12 years that Faber spent with Jordan Oil in Apex might seem like a typo, but it’s not. There is a certain poetry to it all. Faber’s stint at Jordan Oil (i.e., a Phillips 66 gas station that used to sit at the corner of Highway 55 and US1) included frequent and welcome contact and interaction with police, fire and EMS workers. Not unsurprising, given Faber’s gracious and humble demeanor, he developed great rapport with this varied group of first responders.
On a fateful day in mid-1996, one of the many police officers Faber befriended along the way suggested he would make an excellent dispatcher and should apply. In August 1996, then town manager, Bill Sutton, hired Wayne Faber and to some degree, the rest was history.
Faber talked about his early days dispatching where manual, color-coded punch cards were the tools of the trade. Shifts featured one sergeant, two officers and one dispatcher, inexorably linked for the next 12 hours. Dispatching wasn’t restricted to police business. Faber was also dispatching for the fire department and the EMS for both Apex and Holly Springs. In his early dispatching days, Faber so loved his job that he took the police scanner with him 24/7.
Like everything else, computers made their mark. The Computer Aided Dispatch or CAD system enhanced Faber’s dispatching speed and accuracy. He could prioritize on the fly and, whenever necessary, pivot and redirect resources to the unexpected and more urgent call. Making the right decision was made easier, more efficient and smarter. The growth of the community forced the police force to grow, both in size and sophistication. And with it, Faber grew too.
As you might imagine, over the course of 25 years, there are calls that stayed with Faber like the callers who lead with “this isn’t really an emergency.” Faber would think to himself, then why are you calling? Other callers would reference loud music or barking dogs or flat tires as a reason to summon the authorities.
Then, there was the woman who called and said there was a six-foot-tall (perhaps more) bird in her backyard. Faber speculated the woman was seeing an egret or a heron and was simply exaggerating the size. He dispatched an officer who upon arriving at the site let Faber know there was a six- to seven-foot-tall emu or ostrich wandering around her yard.
And, there was a caller who was so mad about her hot fudge going on the bottom instead of the top of her McDonald’s ice cream sundae that she felt compelled to dial 911. McDonald’s did nothing wrong, of course, but the caller did and was ticketed for the trouble.
On the serious side—and Faber likely could have detailed hours and hours and hours of scary, heart wrenching, triumphant, sad, unexpected, incredible and compelling anecdotes he experienced over the last 25 years–what stood out to me were his comments about children and how often times they were the most capable respondent on the other end of the phone. In some sense, their yet unvarnished innocence allowed them to listen intently, follow directions with precision and execute actions quickly, efficiently and without bias—actions that saved lives and turned an emergency into a win.
Twenty-five years at one job is commendable, but when your job is ultimately about keeping the community safe, words like invaluable and indispensable come to mind. Faber talked about the ups and downs of the job, how reward and commitment can sometimes be challenged by the difficult circumstances of a difficult day.
Faber shared that he is a hunting and fishing enthusiast and has been for the better part of his life. Those outings were the cure, sometimes, for a challenging week at the dispatch desk. He is also a long-time member of the Lions Club, having held offices in the local chapters, and likely to return to a leadership role in the not-too-distant future.
Faber’s retirement will be short-lived, in some sense, as he expects to return to the Town of Apex in a limited capacity in the coming months. He won’t be a full-time employee as those days are officially over, but he’ll be able to continue to give back to the community he loves so much.
Wayne Faber has community service and public safety in his DNA. Still, it’s not an easy road, so how did Faber endure?
“If you do something, you stick with it and follow it through to the end. In my eyes, I improved my self-worth by doing something to help in the community. Giving back to the community has always been my thing.”
