My main dispatch complaints

[MDEMT280]

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.

We were required to do an 8 hour ride-along with police, and 8 hours with fire/EMS when we started, regardless of if we were calltakers, FD or PD dispatchers.

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

In fire-side dispatch, we had lots of people with volly FD experience. They were BY FAR better dispatchers than those without experience. So, it's similar on both sides of the fence. Once you've "been there, done that," it adds a level of understanding that you can't get through training and ride-alongs.

True story, one dispatcher (without field experience) once referred to the radio by saying, "it's talking again." Um, yeah, the "it" is a radio, and there's an actual person on the other end who may depend on you to send help in a hurry if the fit hits the shan. Being a dispatcher is not just about clearing calls off the screen and making the radio shut up. :mad:

[acreature]

My worst experience will probably never be matched or exceeded other than by this one particular dispatcher.

She is an excellent Dispatcher when the chips are down. Knows what to do, when to do it, what to ask, when to ask it.

But her one hangup is her need to tell us what to do........

Which call to go to first.
Which Officer to go to which call.
What charges would be appropriate?

C'mon!

[MDEMT280]

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.

Or you wind up with good dispatchers, and you treat them like scum, and they walk away (like me). Hiring process was okay, initial training was good, but they just didn't act like they wanted to keep you.

I had one commendation in my entire time there (and that was a lot, compared to most people). My supervisor didn't even write it, a coworker did, and the administration just rubber-stamped it. I had tons of reprimands, though. I got reprimanded for doing what a field unit told me to do, multiple times. On one occasion, a person with more collar brass than a Turkish admiral called up and asked to be transferred to my supervisor. I ring the supervisor and tell him, "transferrring in so-and-so, he wants to speak to you." They talk, and then I'm hauled off to the conference room to be chastized for transferring the fellow.

We once had a music radio playing Christmas music very softly in the background around the holidays. That lasted all of three minutes before we were reprimanded. We once turned down the lights from half power to off, and tension in the room dropped by huge amounts. That lasted all of ten minutes. We wanted to get 911 center uniforms to show some group pride, and that got shot down. And meanwhile, the light fixtures are dropping out of the ceiling onto consoles, the A/C gets turned off at night and on the weekends and it hits 90 degrees, we have to take out our own trash... The list could go on and on. No effort to improve the place and stop the revolving door.

On the topic of training and standards, I think it's one thing to know the rules, it's another to know WHY the rules exist and WHY we do things the way we do. "Because I say so" is not an answer that makes many dispatchers fully understand WHY it's important to close the channel for an officer on a hot call, or WHY it's important to run information without being asked. I have actually heard the words, "I don't care, I don't know you" uttered (off-mic) about a field unit. That is a crock and a half right there, and people who take that mentality should be canned. Unfortunately, the people who DO care wind up leaving, because they get sick of fighting the administration and the coworkers who couldn't care less. And, of course, the falling light fixtures. :D

[MrJim911]

I did forget to mention that you also have to have a quality administration in place. Poor admin makes for a poor work environment. The head of a 911 center should be a civilian with an actual interest in the profession, not a Sergeant or LT. on light duty (which is what is often done at some agencies that don't have it together.) That Director then can report to a Committee made up of police and fire chiefs for the towns the center dispatches for. This committee will serve as a conduit between dispatch and the field units. They will decide on policies, etc... with no one person in complete charge of the 911 center, thus no favoritism.

[MDEMT280]

By having a civilian in charge, are you saying that you endorse a "third-service" 911 center? Or do you just mean, have an administrator who is not a cop/firefighter who got detailed to that assignment?

[steelcityk9cop]

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

At my first PD the dispatcher had a clause in their contract that provided for triple time on holidays... As a result our admin gave them off every holiday (nice eh?) We had to fill in when they were off. I LOVED working the desk and I thought I was an exceptional dispatcher... because I knew what the cops on the road wanted and needed. I knew what to ask the callers, how to give it out to the officers, and I ALWAYS stayed on the line during in-progress crimes.

[lizy]

Wow! Your dispatch seems a lot different than mine. I'm not from the US, maybe that is the difference.

I dispatch for a tiny (geographic) city with a high population. I am a civilian dispatcher. We do not have sworn dispatchers. My "comm centre" is in a regular-sized room right next to our staff sergeant's desk. In emergency situations (ie. pursuit) he is always right next to me (well, always in general but especially at these times). We do not have a civilian supervisor - my supervisor is the same as the officers on the road.

Not getting suspect descriptions, directions of travel, or hanging up during priority calls is ***NOT*** because civilian dispatchers are bad (in comparison to sworn), it's because of pathetic training. Beyond pathetic - it is dangerous and embarassing. I take my job very, very seriously.

[james13f]

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.

That's a completely different situation. I would expect anyone to be an a$$ to the other person in that situation, after asking multiple times.

I thought your original quote was the first time you asked for the info.

Again, another example of something that seems to happen often at your dispatch center that would result in any of us getting fired.

It boggles my mind the things that are allowed in some of these comm centers.

[MrJim911]

By having a civilian in charge, are you saying that you endorse a "third-service" 911 center? Or do you just mean, have an administrator who is not a cop/firefighter who got detailed to that assignment?

Yes to the second half of your question. Being in charge of a 911 center isn't a "detail". It's a dedicated full time profession and should be staffed and treated as such by qualified people. A police officer that went to a police academy to be a police officer or a fireman that went to a fire school to fight fires are not, generally speaking, qualified.

Does third service mean an independent center? If it works. There are plenty of these in the Chicagoland area where I work. They are run very well and staffed by highly trained people. A sworn person running a 911 center does not a good center make necessarily.

Having said that, not every civilain is that great at it either. There are going to be exceptions in both cases.

[MDEMT280]

Does third service mean an independent center? If it works. There are plenty of these in the Chicagoland area where I work. They are run very well and staffed by highly trained people. A sworn person running a 911 center does not a good center make necessarily.

The biggest problem I see with a cop or firefighter (of whatever rank) in charge is that it's either a cop OR a firefighter, and if your center is responsible for both fire/EMS and police, you've established a partisan administration. So, I'll definately agree with you on that point. :D

I guess I just see an advantage to some level of association with an agency, the morale boost and pride that comes with being a true part of the PD or FD, putting on a uniform when you go to work, etc. But, that sense of "belonging" and pride can be achieved regardless of where the agency falls in terms of municipal organization structure. And, of course, close affiliation or organization under a PD or FD doesn't always guarantee high morale and good treatment, either.

[Valor55]

The biggest problem I see with a cop or firefighter (of whatever rank) in charge is that it's either a cop OR a firefighter, and if your center is responsible for both fire/EMS and police, you've established a partisan administration. So, I'll definately agree with you on that point. :D

I guess I just see an advantage to some level of association with an agency, the morale boost and pride that comes with being a true part of the PD or FD, putting on a uniform when you go to work, etc. But, that sense of "belonging" and pride can be achieved regardless of where the agency falls in terms of municipal organization structure. And, of course, close affiliation or organization under a PD or FD doesn't always guarantee high morale and good treatment, either.

My first agency, the police department ran the dispatch center. The fire department had a "Uniformed Fire Officer" -yep "UFO" who was in there 24/7. The UFO made sure that the fire/EMS dispatching was what was needed for the situation. They made the call on the equipment to send etc so the fire department had their interests covered properly.

[MDEMT280]

My first agency, the police department ran the dispatch center. The fire department had a "Uniformed Fire Officer" -yep "UFO" who was in there 24/7. The UFO made sure that the fire/EMS dispatching was what was needed for the situation. They made the call on the equipment to send etc so the fire department had their interests covered properly.

In the civilian center, we had fire and police liaisons in with us to represent the "official" stance and make sure it all ran smoothly from their end. They also dealt with chain of command issues, complaints, and so on since the dispatchers and field units worked for different agencies.

I guess what I was getting at was more in terms of budget, etc., rather than the day-to-day activities. Would a PD-owned/operated center be willing to provide specialized equipment that the FD dispatchers needed, and not the PD? If somebody does or doesn't get something, there may be the cry of favoritism.

Of course, you get things like that going on anyway. The majority of our center shift supervisors came up through PD or 911, so fire was always the redheaded stepchild that nobody cared about or understood.

[WhiteLite]

I could probably comment on most of the replies here, but honestly I don't remember the ones on the first page, so It's possible I'd miss something. :p

Our communications are set up as follows. City employs civilian dispatchers(though we do much more than just dispatch) to handle city fire and police. Ambulance services in the city are provided through a county emergency management agency. 911 calls come into a central and seperate 911 center. They answer the call, interpret what it is and where, and transfer it (most of the time) to the appropriate agency either on dedicated emergency lines or to an administrative line, depending on the nature of the call.
But they also will take it upon themselves to notify other agencies of the call, if they think the other agency should know. (i.e. transfer a call to police and notify ambulance, or vice versa.) While the concept is fine i'm sure, it results in us being called about some things that we really don't have a need to be notified about, and that rescue could handle (probably better) without us there.
It also results in the 911 center sometimes third party dispatching, such as they recieve a call, and get whatever information the caller will give them, and then disconnect and call us with the info on an admin line.
There have been many suggestions to go to a consolidated center, but it's fought from many angles by different agencies involved.

In reference to dispatchers not getting enough or the right information, I will agree that there are some dispatchers that don't know or don't care enough to ask the right questions, or pay attention to what they're told by the complaintant. However, there are many callers who either aren't able, or flat out refuse to give the information that the officers need. I've had a caller that wouldn't tell me anything other than, "Get the police over here." Wouldn't tell me why, what was going on, or anything else, just said that several times, and then hung up.
Our dept doesn't have caller ID (for some unknown reason) so if the caller disconnects before we're able to get their phone number, or they refuse to give it, we are powerless to get any further information. It really sucks when the phone rings and you hear someone yelling for help, and then it's disconnected before they can tell you where they are. I wonder if the administration really knows how much of a liability that is to the dept.

There are a lot of other things I haven't addressed that I wanted to, so I'll either write another reply, or just keep it for later, this novel is long enough.
Just my $0.02 (with inflation).

~WhiteLite

[gonnabafiveoh]

I dont have to worry about dispatchers right now... But I have to deal with a control officer who is supposed to hold all traffic when we have a situation... They never do...

Story: Friday Night I am working OT at the Intake, get a call across the radio of a fight in progress in a holding cell. Get there with 3 other officers we enter the tank and deploy OC and begin to restrain the combatants.This is a semi serious situation 4 officers inside a tank with 20 people trying to restrain 2 combatants with our backs to the group of inmates. Our control officer starts to proceed with normal traffic telling someone they had a 21 holding (phone call). The best part my EM switch was activated, after 45 minutes I was asked to clear it..

what would have happened if it was a setup and we needed more officers.

For us any traffic called involving the words: FIGHT, ASSISTANCE, MAN DOWN. is a hold all radio traffic until code 4 is given.

USE COMMON SENSE

[DeadEye]

Interesting reading!

Here in NZ, it's a bit different - We have one national police force, so it's much easier. Someone rings 111 (NZ equiv to 911), it goes to the major telephone company - Telecom, who ask 'Police, Fire or Ambulance?' then the call is routed to the appropriate communications centre. (We have 9 in total, 3 for each of the services)

For police, the caller calls in, the calltaker issues the appropriate job/incident code, callers name and incident location. This information is then sent direct to the dispatcher.

By this time, the calltaker is getting more indepth details such as # of offenders, description, etc etc, which appears LIVE on the dispatchers screen as the calltaker types it. (And there is a minimum requirement for the job of 45wpm.)

As of yet we don't have MDT's, so it's all over the air.