For the past 20 years, chances are, anyone contacting the Pearl River County tax collector’s office or sheriff’s department have heard the voice of Cara Bond.
The Derby native and Poplarville High School graduate began her tenure with the county in 1995 under the direction of Faye Allen, who was the tax collector at the time.
It was at the tax office that Bond said she learned the streets of Pearl River County.
“When I was moved to appraisals, I had the chance to be on the streets,” Bond said. “I learned about houses and how to describe them in detail.”
Providing detailed descriptions became an essential asset when Bond became a dispatcher in 2001.
When Bond describes the meaning of her current position, she utilizes the word guide.
“We help navigate people to the right county offices,” she said. “I talk to people who come from all over and help them find what they are looking for. We also answer 911 calls, but nine out of ten times, we answer general calls.”
Along with helping the public, Bond provides imperative information to the county’s law enforcement officials.
Pearl River County K-9 officer Jason Pohlmann said Bond is a fantastic dispatcher so he never has to worry about the information she provides.
“Dispatchers are incredibly important,” Pohlmann said. “Without them, we could go blindly into a situation. They look up cross streets and provide detailed descriptions of homes and people’s histories. Bond is fantastic and she’s a good woman. She is very professional and I couldn’t see her not being here.”
Pearl River County Chief Investigator Marc Ogden has worked with Bond for the past three years and said she’s one of the best dispatchers the department has.
“I’ve worked in three different agencies and she’s one of the best I’ve seen,” Ogden said. “She cares and provides more than needed information about the same subject. I’m glad she decided to devote 20 years of her life to this county and her working here benefits the citizens.”
Dispatch Supervisor and TAC Sergeant Rebecca Rasmusson said Bond is timely and entertaining to work with.
“She’s dependable and thorough,” Rasmusson said. “If anyone calls her with a problem, she’s not going to hesitate to send them what they need.”
Sheriff David Allison said Bond is a great employee that does an outstanding job and takes her job very seriously.
“She pays attention to detail and that’s important to what we do, because the lives of the deputies she talks to are in her hands,” Allison said. “She’s a pleasure to be around and handles the pressures of the job very well.”
Bond is married and the mother of her two “Derby” girls, who both attend the Poplarville School District. She is also a member of the Blueberry Jubilee Council and manages traffic control for the event.
Bond lives in the same house she grew up in and said she loves Pearl River County. She feels blessed to live in a community with a small town feeling.
“I help the public, it’s what I do,” Bond said. “I’ll stay here as long as they keep me.”
Bond said being blessed with four great bosses, which include Faye Allen, Gary Beech, Joe Stuart and Allison, are one of the key elements to her longevity with the county, along with having the opportunity to do a job she loves.
“God set me on a journey when he led me to the tax office and then graduated me up to dispatch,” Bond said. “At the tax office I learned patience, customer service and county roads, which has been an asset to me here at the sheriff’s department.”
The contact number for the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department dispatch is 601-795-2241.