My main dispatch complaints

[mcsap]

1. I work in a regional PD that covers 9 municipalities over an area of 80 square miles. Needless to say we have many duplicate named streets. Main St. , Walnut , Oak , Maple , Water St. , Waters Rd etc.

Getting them to dispatch by municipality FIRST is an issue on 1/3 to 1/2 of the calls. I know where some of the calls are because we only have ONE 500 block of E. Maple St. but that is because after 20 yrs of going calls, I JUST KNOW. The newer troops aren't as attuned to the roads.

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 )

[JD45]

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 )

when #2 comes up in our city and it does often, you'll get one of us to tell the dispatcher to hold all traffic unless it's code three traffic. Then they can't dispatch anything more unless it's related to that 'hot' call until I lift the hold. Only the officer placing the hold can lift it as well. Not another dispatcher or even a supervisor, unless on scene.

Just had to do it the other day as a matter of fact. On that on-view rollover I posted. While I'm in the middle of giving out traffic blockade directions which need to be handled at a code 3 rate, the dispatcher starts asking for vehicle numbers for what cars we're driving...

[Norm357]

when #2 comes up in our city and it does often, you'll get one of us to tell the dispatcher to hold all traffic unless it's code three traffic. Then they can't dispatch anything more unless it's related to that 'hot' call until I lift the hold. Only the officer placing the hold can lift it as well. Not another dispatcher or even a supervisor, unless on scene.

Same here.

[mcsap]

I have the ability to request that county dispatch " hold the air" which they will do. I was just hoping they would do it so I don't even have to bother.

[121Traffic]

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.

[steelcityk9cop]

Peeve #1:

Not giving out cross streets…. “Grandview Ave. between Mazer and Penn” We have three Grandview Ave’s and four 1st streets in our town.

Peeve #2:

Not knowing where your cars are… or not caring. It makes me cringe then they dispatch an officer somewhere 3 hours after he called off duty.

Peeve #3:

Disconnecting with the caller on “in progress calls”.

Our 911 is pretty good…. Seems like the best dispatchers tend to work midnights here.

[MDEMT280]

when #2 comes up in our city and it does often, you'll get one of us to tell the dispatcher to hold all traffic unless it's code three traffic. Then they can't dispatch anything more unless it's related to that 'hot' call until I lift the hold. Only the officer placing the hold can lift it as well. Not another dispatcher or even a supervisor, unless on scene.

I hope there's some kind of provision in there for breaking radio silence. Officers here can request a 10-3 (hold radio traffic), which normally is only cancelled by a unit on the scene. Every now and then, though, a dispatcher will have to temporarily break the 10-3 to dispatch another "hot" call. It would certainly suck for disciplinary action to be taken against the dispatcher when they break 10-3 to put out another high priority call (of course, my former employer would probably do just that).

I would say that the vast majority of dispatchers are quite capable, but it's the one or two bad apples in the bunch that get all dispatchers lumped into the category of "button-pushing numpty." One that broad classification happens, though, it's all down hill from there. The field doesn't trust you, your administration turns against you, and even if you never screw up, you're still a moron in the eyes of everyone else.

[JD45]

I hope there's some kind of provision in there for breaking radio silence. Officers here can request a 10-3 (hold radio traffic), which normally is only cancelled by a unit on the scene. Every now and then, though, a dispatcher will have to temporarily break the 10-3 to dispatch another "hot" call. It would certainly suck for disciplinary action to be taken against the dispatcher when they break 10-3 to put out another high priority call (of course, my former employer would probably do just that).

Yes, you're correct and I hope they would as well. It all comes down to common sense.

Dispatchers aren't the only violators. I've had an officer while I was searching a home of an in progress residential burglary go on a traffic stop and start running the guy.

It went from 'restrict' traffic, to a Code 33 with audible tone to 'remind' everyone to keep their pie holes shut unless something major was going on.

[Valor55]

Our dispatchers will breathlessly air every update for a cat stuck in a tree. But if you're doing a buck-twenty trying to get to a burglary of an occupied dwelling, in progress they hang up on the caller and send any updates over the computer.

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.) Luckily a command staff got on the air and told the dispatcher if an officer asks for information, to give it to them. That was sweeeeet.

I can't stand that they don't stay on the phone with someone. We ask for suspect description, direction of travel, weapons involved and the answer we get is "we're no longer on the phone with them."

[Jay7376]

Me: Dispatch, do you have a description of the subject?

Dispatch: Negative, the caller did not advise.

That is dispatcher code for "I am retarded and never asked the caller for a description, then I hung up on them and now I can't get them back on the line."

[oscarmitre]

Ours are all cops. No problems.

[deputywave]

Me: Dispatch, do you have a description of the subject?

Dispatch: Negative, the caller did not advise.

That is dispatcher code for "I am retarded and never asked the caller for a description, then I hung up on them and now I can't get them back on the line."

Seems like a good share of our dispatchers are like that. We have a couple that are really good. The rest kinda scare me.

[Lawson]

Me: Dispatch, do you have a description of the subject?

Dispatch: Negative, the caller did not advise.

That is dispatcher code for "I am retarded and never asked the caller for a description, then I hung up on them and now I can't get them back on the line."

Hahaha! +1 if I could... hahaha... thats about the funniest thing I read all day, 'specially cause its true and Ive made the same statement in the past.

[Valor55]

Ours are all cops. No problems.

They are asking if any of us want to work part time dispatching to fill in scheduling gaps and personnell shortages. I'm looking forward to a few cops being in there. 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.

I could never dispatch. I would have to run out and go to the first hot call downtown myself.

[MDEMT280]

A 4 hour ride along at the beginning of your dispatch career is not enough perspective.

I agree with you 100%. Unfortunately, most people I knew were using comms to get into the police or fire departments, not coming from them.

I want to toss this question out, too: How many of you, as police officers, have spent significant time in a communications center? We taught a comms class at the academy for a day, but (at least when I was there) none of the recruits were required to do a "sit-along" in communications. We're all part of a team, dispatch and field units, police and fire and EMS, and yet so many people don't bother to really learn about the others' jobs.

As for the "not staying on the phone" thing. Well, if you DO stay on the phone, then you have Joe Public saying "911 didn't answer" or "911 was busy" as the phone lines ring over because your understaffed comms center is overwhelmed. That gets the administration riled up and the supervisor stomping around and fussing. Sigh. Maybe if the comms center wasn't such a sucky place to work you wouldn't have recruitment/retention problems, eh? :rolleyes:

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.

See, even dispatchers have peeves about other dispatchers!