I think I may have upset a senior officer...just don't know how? Advice please?

[scprotector1]

So im a probationary patrolman for my dept. my probation ends in october which is a little over a month away. Ive also been off FTO for 3 months already and have not had any problems with senior officers until yesterday. A call came in just out of my area for a threatening phone call, the wife was at a local bar when her husband calls and threatens to go over there and kill her and the security guard. Two senior officers get dispatched and i disregard the backup and start heading enroute. I just so happen to get there first and let dispatch know im getting off, right at thaat moment thee senior officer gets there and advises she is off. We both approach the complainant at the same time and the complainant goes right up to me and starts explaining the whole story to me. Im hearing her out and she begins telling me about previous incidents that don't have any significance as to why we are here now. I ask her "I understand ma'am but why are we here now?" At this point the senior officer shoots a glance my way which I return, we make eye contact for maybe 2 seconds and she then looks back at the complainant. Awkward...at this point she finishes her story and Im about to ask her if she wishes to file a report and press charges and possibly stay somewhere else for the night, when the senior officer butts in looks at me and says: "So do you have anything else to add?" I reply "What do you mean?" she replies "Well are you going to interview her? Ask questions? Do you even know what to do?" I reply "Im going to ask if she wants to press charges and have some place to stay for the night." She then looks at the complainant and says "Ok thats what i'm trying to get at, I'll be conducting the interview from here on out and you can direct all questions to me, he is just my backup." At this point I'm obviously fuming and really want to tell her off but I hold my tongue and keep my composure for the remainder of the call which she ended up taking. After the call was finished she didn't even say a word to me and went right back to her car and took off. I'm not sure if I did anything wrong here, maybe some of you senior guys can help me out? Was she upset because complainant talked to the backup rookie when she was primary? Was it because I was handling the call differently than her? She ended up going the same route I was going to take anyway so I'm stumped. Any advice guys?

[retdetsgt]

It was her call, not yours. You should have let her handle it from the beginning. If you arrive first, make sure everything is okay for the moment, broadcast any suspect information, etc, but as soon as the officer who has the call gets there, brief him/her as to what you've done so far and then back off. I'm surprised none of your FTO's taught you that kind of protocol.

[retdetsgt]

To add, I wouldn't worry about it. Everyone annoys a senior cop now and then when you're new. Just let it go and try not to do that again.

[Kimble]

Rookie mistake (I've done the same inadvertently too in the past). The officer dispatched the call owns the call, all other officers should be there to back-up and assist that officer, not take the call for themselves. Live and learn, but I would advise making a point to apologizing to the senior officer just to bury the hatchet.

On another note, since you stated you're a patrolman, we need to address you being verified. Site rules require those who claim to be LEOs be verified (which not only shows to other members that you are in fact a LEO, but also grants you access to the LE-restricted forums, where this sort of thread would be better placed). Follow the link in my signature block for details on the verification process, and please follow up on this request promptly.

[Joeyd6]

You said you called arrival just as she showed up. Instead of jumpining out and going to the complaintant, maybe you should have went over to the other cop and approach together. Second, why are you going anywhere and not letting dispatch what you are doing?

[G35 Mass]

I'll echo what the fine gentlemen above me have said.

It was her call. She's primary. NOTHING goes up my azz more then when my "backup" butts in, attempts to take over the call, etc.. Backup is just that: BACKUP. Watch my 6, take notes, maybe do the calls to dispatch with information, etc.. But in the end, I am responsible for the report and the outcome of my calls, and was she with this one.

I will not knock your FTO / training or say you should have known this. I don't know what your FTO was. In a detailed FTO training program with dedicated, knowledgeable FTOs you probably would have been exposed to the concept of "contact / cover", but I know a lot of departments leave a lot to be desired in the FTO department.

Chalk it up as something you learned and move on.

[Citicop]

I would point out that if two officers approach the complainant at the same time, and the complainant approaches the backup officer and starts dealing with him/her... the primary has an obligation to step in and take over (especially if the other guy is a new officer).

But if someone stepped into my call and took over, they got the whole thing, report and all.

-Citicop.

[marinepilot]

While it's policy in my agency that the officer dispatched owns the call, the real way is the officer getting onscene first becomes the primary unless dispatch is told differently (as in another officer advises them to make him/her primary). I've done that many times where I've gotten out on a call that I was closer to and handled it, usually before the more senior officer can arrive. Usually, us junior guys will cancel senior officers because we figure they've paid their dues and it's up to us now to handle the calls (plus, it's more experience for us). What would have happened here is if I called onscene first, and the complainant started talking to me, the senior officer would then fall into the backup roll.

Now, say it's two officers of about same seniority. Then it falls to the district officer (usually, due to district pride). But the officers hash that out between them. Like the above example, say district officers were dispatched, but I was closer, I'd show up, become primary, and when the district officers got there they would offer to take over. Usually if it's just going to be a coded call, the first guy handles it and codes it. If there's gonna be paper, the district officer tries to take it. Although I've taken paper outside my district, especially if it's a good arrest!

[retdetsgt]

I will not knock your FTO / training or say you should have known this.

Chalk it up as something you learned and move on.

Departmental etiquette is something FTO's are supposed to teach. Every department has it's own, in mine, I would have let you finish the call, but you would write all the reports. I would however, have a chat with you after the call. Here, the district car takes the call, not the first one arriving. You would do what needed to be done immediately, but when the district got there, he would take over. Otherwise, we refer to it as "jumping someone's call", a no no.

As we're all saying, you're in the learning mode. Take it as that and don't get defensive. Good luck with your career!

[greg72982]

I guess us small towners do it different. Senior or rook if another guy wants to handle the call, he can handle the call. I don't get butt hurt about it.

I just sit back and watch and if he is new and doesn't say/do something I feel should be said or done I just say/do it myself. I don't consider it my call. If you want it it's yours, as long as the job gets done, but you write the report.

Maybe we're just lazy though. On a related note we don't worry about other departments taking our calls either, we worry about other departments pawning them off if it's on the border.

[retdetsgt]

Yeah, it varies from department to department. I've talked to guys who were laterals into my department and they talked about how the etiquette and unwritten rules were different.

Here the only thing someone else will let you take in a heartbeat is a traffic wreck. That was what all our "border skirmishes" were about.

[Joeyd6]

In the NYPD where I workerd, my sector, my call. You got there first, you held the peace till we get there. Unless of course, you offered to take it, and when you did, I accepted, whihc usually only happened if somebody was looking for a collar (and we were not), or we were headed to lunch and taking the call would delay such or we were really back logged.