[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish 911 Center dedicated to pioneering former sheriff's deputy

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish 911 Center dedicated to pioneering former sheriff's
deputy
 By Bob Warren, staff writer 
on October 09, 2012 at 11:15 AM, updated October 09, 2012 at 12:41 PM Email

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The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office 911 communications center has been
renamed and dedicated in the honor of Col. Gerald "Jerry'' Rathburn, who
died in April. Rathburn, a longtime deputy, was a driving force behind the
parish's modern 911 system, the Sheriff's Office said.

Rathburn's widow, Trudy Rathburn, snipped the ribbon at the facility in the
800 block of West Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette on Monday. Jerry Rathburn,
who died of an illness at the age of 80, joined the Sheriff's Office in 1987
and for years was responsible for the 911 emergency system, as well as the
Sheriff's Office's computer, radio and telephone systems, the Sheriff's
Office said.

"I think it looks very nice; I didn't expect this,'' Trudy Rathburn said as
she looked up at the new lettering at the top of the 911 Center, standing
with family members who attended a ceremony.

"He loved his job. He never would have quit,'' Rathburn said of her husband,
who was still working for the Sheriff's Office at the time of his death.

The center originally opened in 2004 and was renovated after being flooded
during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta
and the Parish Council honored the memory of Rathburn with a proclamation
given to his widow last May.

Several officials and former co-workers paid tribute to Rathburn during
Monday's event. St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann said officials
wanted to make sure to preserve the memory of Rathburn.

"Jerry worked behind the scenes for many years and he had a big impact on
law enforcement under three sheriffs and played an important role in our
modern 911 system,'' Pohlmann said.

"He was the brains behind what we have today,'' including the interoperable
radio system that allows various entities such as the Sheriff's Office, Fire
Department and others to communicate with each other, the sheriff said.
"What we have today is a tribute to Jerry Rathburn."

Rahtburn was a former U.S. Marine and a veteran of the Korean War.