The Scottsdale Police Department has introduced its new police operations support director, Karen Sutherland.

Sutherland holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration and a master’s degree in organizational leadership and administration from Concordia University in Michigan.

She joined the department in 2007 as a records supervisor and has served as records manager as well as her most recent position as communications manager. As the records manager, Sutherland was the founder of the AZ Law Enforcement Records Managers Association. She was recently named Communications Manager of the Year for the state of Arizona.

Sutherland serves on the executive board for the Arizona chapter of the Association of Public Safety Officials, the State 911 Advisory Board and was a co-founder of the Maricopa Regional Dispatcher Academy through Glendale Community College.

Before moving to Arizona in 2007, Sutherland worked as a dispatcher and records specialist in Michigan.

Sutherland will oversee Communications & Dispatch, the Real Time Crime Center and equipment purchases related to those areas.