My main dispatch complaints

[Signal4]

.......How many of you, as police officers, have spent significant time in a communications center?......

I did an 8 hour day when I was a rook.

I used to stop by all of the time, as the Comm Center is above the Jail.... But, since we went to MDTs in all cars in 1998, I stopped stopping by. The quality disappeared in Dispatch when they were left with less to do.

Now, when you ask for information, they act as if it is a burden on them. They know not how it was before the Computer in cars. I miss the days when dispatch asked the Complaintant the right questions, and had the right information for the Officer. God forbid they run vehicle or DL info nowadays.

[Valor55]

At my first agency I had to spend a shift in dispatch as part of FTO.

Personally, I was happier when 911 disconnected. As a fire-side dispatcher, I made all my call-backs myself. Once 911 got off the line, I could call the caller back and actually talk to them, rather than having 911 sending me bits and pieces of the story in the CAD system. And they never, EVER read the comments that I typed over until after they disconnected.

What I would like to see is when we get any kind of in progress/urgent call is that the dispatcher who starts handling it is forwarded the call by the 911 call taker. They can keep the caller on mute and when we ask for some information they can ask. The caller is there, the dispatcher has access to them (and we do through dispatch) and the 911 call taker is freed up. Other dispatchers can handle the other calls until the one dealing with the urgent call is freed up. It only takes us a couple minutes tops here to arrive on scene, stabilize, and free up the dispatcher. When this routine was sugested by the department to the communications center (a separate city agency we have no control over) we were told that isn't in their SOPs and they aren't changing it. Nevermind it would help accomplish all our missions better.:rolleyes:

[Valor55]

I miss the days when dispatch asked the Complaintant the right questions, and had the right information for the Officer. God forbid they run vehicle or DL info nowadays.

Quit teasing me! All they get is the address and the initial verbal vomit given by the caller and then they hang up. Every call we ask for clothing description, direction of travel, vehicle description, weapons involved etc... You'd think they'd get by now we are going to ask that and they could anticipate it before hanging up. Nope.

[MDEMT280]

the communications center (a separate city agency we have no control over)

Ah, yes, I know that story all too well.

I also understand where you're coming from with the call transfer idea. This is how we did it: If it was a priority call, a burglary in progress, for example, 911 puts the caller on mute. They ring over to the police dispatcher and give them a brief with the location and call type and any pertinent info they have gathered at that point (usually not much). The dispatcher puts it over the air with the little info they have, all the officers want copies on their in-car computers, but the call isn't actually in the system yet so they can't get it. Meanwhile, God knows what is happenening at the call as the call-taker types it in. Usually, on the really hot calls, it's a really slow typer who answers, so your initial call and updates are slow in coming, too. Seems to me if the caller just got transferred in, they could save a whole bunch of steps, and a whole bunch of time. Alas, common sense is an automatic DQ for any leadership or management positions.

I must say, though, for the most part the dispatchers I worked with were a decent bunch who cared about the jobs they did. They get information like descriptions, directions of travel, etc., and relay that to the units over the air without being asked. They'll run tags on suspicious vehicles without being prompted, and things like that. They really do try hard, within the confines of the rules, regs and the technology we have.

Some things are just snarled up at some level two or three steps up from the rank and file dispatchers, though. True story, one dispatcher brought in one of those cans of compressed air to clean out his keyboard one day. The supervisor told him he couldn't do that, he needed to put in a work order with the computer people to have it cleaned. :rolleyes:

[deputywave]

How many of you, as police officers, have spent significant time in a communications center?

When I first came on, we were required to spend 16 Hrs. in Dispatch. Before they consolidated our 3rd Shift Dispatch with the city's, it was very common for an officer to come in so the dispatcher could have a break or go to the bathroom.

I'd be curious to know how many dispatchers have spent any time riding with their officers. In my time on, we've had 2 dispatchers that were retired officers, 1 that was a reserve officer and 2 that actually rode with officers.

[james13f]

2. Prioritizing calls. "Triage " if you must. We will be dispatched to an armed robbery in progress and than they will go on to dispatch a NON-emergency call to another PD on our channel.

Rant over. (and yes I have called request that they address this )

#1 is not a problem, we have maps integrated into CAD that requires an address or intersection to verify so it goes to the correct district. Every 2 districts has a dispatcher, typically for 20-40 Officers and 50,000-90,000 citizens.

#2 - We have way to many calls coming in to hold traffic while units are enroute to high priority calls. It is considered common courtesy to not talk on dangerous calls where one unit is marked on-scene and their back-up(s) have not marked on-scene yet.

They know what's needed by the guys on the street. A 4 hour ride along at the beginning of your dispatch career is not enough perspective. They are clueless.

Training and standards. This has nothing to do with the rank and file dispatchers. The center's directors and supervisors are not training to a good standard, or enforcing the standard.

Just like a 4 hour 'sit'-a-long during the slowest (a.m.) part of the day during the first week of academy doesn't begin to show ya'll what we do.

I recently asked for a vehicle description while driving to a hit and run. The dispatcher confirmed he was sending it to my computer. I responded, "NEGATIVE! I'm trying to drive and watch for cars at the same time, I need it aired!" The dispatcher responded all snotty that it was aired the first time they aired the call (before I was even dispatched.)

Both you and the dispatcher acted unprofessionally. A simple 'Please advise over the air' would have worked from your point, and the dispatcher had no right to respond with anything other than the requested info. Both you and the dispatcher could've been written up and reprimanded at the department I work for.

[Lawson]

Both you and the dispatcher acted unprofessionally. A simple 'Please advise over the air' would have worked from your point, and the dispatcher had no right to respond with anything other than the requested info. Both you and the dispatcher could've been written up and reprimanded at the department I work for.

I have found in my limited experience, at 80-90 miles per hour, while trying to simultaneously trying to control your own driving, predict the driving skills (or lack-there-of) of other motorists, running various scenarios through your head of what you are going to do upon arrival dependant upon what you find, trying to hear and figure up how many units are responding along with you and what the best course of action will be, trying to keep an eye out to make sure the bad guy isnt in a car headed in the opposite direction, watching for other possible crimes in progress along the way, and multiple other variables... it isnt the best time for a dispatcher to try to get into a pissing match with you, which unfortunately I see all too much.

[txinvestigator1]

I want to toss this question out, too: How many of you, as police officers, have spent significant time in a communications center?

I did. As a patrol officer I kept up with as many officers as the dispatchers did. A good cop knows where the offices are in his area. If someone called for backup I knew where they were without asking. And we did not have 2 guys on duty either. One channel handled 12-16 units at a time.

I spent nearly a month dispatching when I was on light duty. The troops loved me being on the air.

It was a nice relaxing vacation from the street. ;)

My favorite was when I was dispatched to a call behind a Grandy's (semi-fast food) at closing time. There was a suspicious vehicle with several teen males and the caller from the drive -thru reported seeing a gun. Upon arrival I checked out with the plate, number of occupants and asked for my back-ups location. The dispatcher's next traffic to me was, "2450, what is your employee number?" :eek: Yeah, I'll take the time to answer that stupid question while I get my ass shot.

***dispatchers***

[txinvestigator1]

Training and standards. This has nothing to do with the rank and file dispatchers. The center's directors and supervisors are not training to a good standard, or enforcing the standard.

Just like a 4 hour 'sit'-a-long during the slowest (a.m.) part of the day during the first week of academy doesn't begin to show ya'll what we do.

Nope. I have observed centers with both civilians and cops as dispatchers. The cops BY FAR, do a better job.

Both you and the dispatcher acted unprofessionally. A simple 'Please advise over the air' would have worked from your point, and the dispatcher had no right to respond with anything other than the requested info. Both you and the dispatcher could've been written up and reprimanded at the department I work for.

Again, nope. Dispatchers who do stupid things that are dangerous for officers need to be put in their place.

[TXCharlie]

My experience with dispatchers has been limited of course...

Once I reported a car doing at least 90MPH in heavy traffic, passing on the shoulder, nearly running into people, etc, going north on I-35 at the Carrollton/Lewisville border. Well, Carrollton answered, so I told them to notify Lewisville. What did I hear on my scanner several minutes later? A broadcast to Carrollton. After I got to my exit 8 miles away, I finally heard it broadcast to Lewisville, but I'm certain that they were 20 miles away in Denton by then if they were even on the highway.

Once I also reported a disabled car blocking an exit off I-35 in Lewisville. I swear the dispatcher kept me on the line for 10 minutes asking questions about that stupid car (color, tag, make, year, etc, none of which I remembered). Finally after I was on the other side of town, I told her to never mind, someone's probably already run into it by now, so just look for smoke and I hung up.

[cntryboy0531]

It's a big problem with us to with the 911 call takers just getting gibberish for information from the caller, and then hanging up. I get pissed when I hear only something like "Caller advised she heard someone outside the door", so they send us 10-18 (code three for you guys) to a possible occupied burglary in progress. Then when I ask if they were still landline with the reportee "negative, 911 center advised they are no longer landline"...

Or even better, I have to tell dispatch while I'm driving 110mph down the road to a hot call to get back landline with the reportee, and find out _____ from them (usually basic stuff that should have been taken in the first place, clothing descriptions, direction of travel, etc).

My last day working, I checked out with an abandoned vehicle on the way home from work. Once I left the tow away warning, I advised dispatch of the disposition of the abandoned vehicle, and they replied with their time stamp. Then, maybe 4 minutes later I walked through my front door, advised I was off duty, and they replied with the time stamp. A little over an hour later I get a call from dispatch on my cell phone wondering if I WAS STILL ON THE ABANDONED VEHICLE CALL!!!!! The dispatcher never cleared me off of it. Thank god I wasn't shot and needing help.. :rolleyes:

[cntryboy0531]

Same here. We call out a "Code 1" which means that all non-emergency traffic gets moved to a car-to-car talkgroup. Any units still available to be dispatched move to car to car and conduct business there. All units on the perimeter, accident, whathaveyou stay on primary.

We have something similar here. If a supervisor, on scene unit, unit rolling to the scene, or dispatcher needs it, they can declare 10-33 (emergency traffic only) Traffic. Which means if you're going to the related call, you can skip going through dispatch and communciate directly with supervisor, and on-scene units. And if you don't have anything to do with the related call, keep your mouth shut unless something has happened where you are at. If the dispatcher is good, she'll know when you need it and will delcare it for you, which they are pretty good about doing.

A supervisor or dispatch won't end 10-33 traffic without the on-scene unit's say so. The only time the supervisor would, is if he is on scene, or he want's everyone to go to a tac (unit to unit) channel.

I do have a HUGE pet peeve, and it happens somewhat often. Is when a deputy delcares 10-33 traffic.. And not two seconds later a deputy will come across the radio with unrelated, non-emergency traffic. That pisses me off to no end, because they are not paying attention to their radio. There are a few exceptions when they are in a crappy radio area, and we know what those are, so they can't hear the 10-33 traffic declaration, so, they are "excused". However in all the other cases, I have to surpress the urge to throw my radio at the person that butted in on the radio, and hold off from stroking out in my car.

[MrJim911]

Training and standards. This has nothing to do with the rank and file dispatchers. The center's directors and supervisors are not training to a good standard, or enforcing the standard.

This is the answer to every complaint that is in this thread. My agency is not guilty of anything that has been mentioned here. We get all necessary info and give it out in a timely and appropriate manner. We never argue with officers over the air (which is always wrong and unprofessional regardless of who initiates it).

A quality hiring process followed by proper and quality initial training and con-ed training and having SOP's in place covering all aspects of the profession are the keys to a good Dispatch center. Without these your going to get crappy dispatchers, or good people that have potential, but will not get better due to the lack of the aforementioned qualities of a good dispatch center.

[Valor55]

Both you and the dispatcher acted unprofessionally. A simple 'Please advise over the air' would have worked from your point, and the dispatcher had no right to respond with anything other than the requested info. Both you and the dispatcher could've been written up and reprimanded at the department I work for.

Both myself and another unit asked for the same info repeatedly and he refused to air it. Plain English wasn't working and the duty officer agreed with me.

[Signal4]

A simple 'Please advise over the air' would have worked from your point

Sometimes... just sometimes, there are too many things going on to ask someone nicely to simply do their job.