God & Dispatchers

[PVPD124]

You may know where you are and what you are doing

God may know where you and what you are doing

But, if your dispatcher doesn't know where you are and what you are doing, You better be on good terms with God!

[halyzmom]

AMEN to this one! Too often times, officers think just because a few of their fellow officers know where they are that things will be fine. Personally, I prefer that dispatch know where I am at all times incase something happens. I prefer to know the "army" is coming instead of one or two!

[smcc360]

I'll stay on good terms with Glock, thanks. ;)

[mcsap]

Dispatchers are WELL meaning but do NOT always need to know where I am or what I am up to. For the MOST part I advise them but not always.

Depending on the situation , I must silence my radio , turn off my phone or use other means to accomplish a goal. I always make sure another officer knows what we are up to but if I decide to not tell dispatch..." don't have a cow".

[Signal4]

I always make sure another officer knows what we are up to

+1 ^

[kels]

Dispatchers are not God,
even though they often
think they are...........:D

Now back to the original post.
It sucks to sit in dispatch and
not know where an officer is.

It is amazing how many new
officers never learn to use a
radio properly. (Some of us
dont have in car computers)

[PVPD124]

Dispatchers are not God

No, we aren't... but the Chief is.

It sucks to sit in dispatch and
not know where an officer is.

Yes it does.

It is amazing how many new
officers never learn to use a
radio properly. (Some of us
dont have in car computers)

My original reasoning for the original post is this...
One night shift I get a call from the chief asking where the officers are. I tell him I have no idea because they haven't checked in for about an hour. He proceeded to yell at me saying that I am the officers lifeline and I'm supposed to know where they are at all times if they are out of the car. The three officers had stopped for breakfast at the local truck stop and failed to inform me. He had me radio them and have them respond to the station where the Chief showed up at 03:00 and reamed me and them for not keeping me informed of what they were doing. We have since worked out a code system among ourselves that lets me know where they are for breakfast without saying on the air that they our for a meal. When they do a security check on a certain business then I know that are at the truck stop.


The god that is referred to in the original post is your commanding officer, Chief, Sheriff, etc.

[wcso234]

I'll stay on good terms with Glock, thanks. ;)

Hell I wish our dispatchers cared where we are. They cant handle the TV and talking on the radio at the same time.

[Valor55]

No, we aren't... but the Chief is.

:rolleyes:

[Cat_Doc]

I was going to stay out of this because I have heard this quote about God and dispatchers before and I tried my best to remember a time in my thirty some years cuffing and stuffing in which a dispatcher was there when I am fighting for my life.

I cannot recall one time.

It has always been a fellow law enforcement officer or a Good Citizen who came to my aid.

Now, I can grasp the response that a dispatcher can send you the help if they know where you are, but it has been my experience that law enforcement officers who work together, in general, have excellent situational awareness and know where their partners are at.

I can also cede that if an officer decides to make contact and fails to let dispatch or a fellow officer know their location, they cannot ***** if they get their ass handed to them because back-up did not know where to roll.

Officers who get in this habit deserve discipline.

I totally disagree with the notion that the chief executive of the agency is God. They dump a load the same way we all do, it stinks, and they make human mistakes.

The reason I did decide to post in this thread is due to an incident that occurred last night during shift in which a dispatcher had their head where the sun does not shine and failed in their duty so terribly it caused a distinct officer survival violation. This arrogant, cocky and condescending dispatcher then attempted to rationalize, in a snapping childish tone, over a radio frequency heard by who knows how many hundreds of people, including monitoring media.

I wish I had a copy of the phone recording when I finished the incident and called the dispatch supervisor. I remember one distinct quote of telling her vengeance would be mine if I ended up standing over a dead deputy because her dispatcher was not doing her job.

I will not detail the incident (unless verifieds want to read about it in the restricted area?) in public, but don’t dare come across as though dispatchers are constantly saving law enforcement officer’s lives.

Save this for cute slogan posters in your communication center work area, not as an ego booster in a working officer’s forum.

(Damn, I guess I am still pissed from last night?)

[JDS]

I just made some popcorn, this is getting good:D

[smcc360]

One night shift I get a call from the chief asking where the officers are. I tell him I have no idea...

Off the top of my head, I can come up with about fifty answers to that question, any one of which will prevent three cops from having to be berated by some superstar chief who can't get to sleep.

If a dispatcher can't save me from a cranky boss, how will they save me from an actual threat?

...don’t dare come across as though dispatchers are constantly saving law enforcement officer’s lives.

Save this for cute slogan posters in your communication center work area, not as an ego booster in a working officer’s forum.

As always, Cat Doc hits it out of the park.

[Lawson]

I will not detail the incident (unless verifieds want to read about it in the restricted area?) in public, but don’t dare come across as though dispatchers are constantly saving law enforcement officer’s lives.

Post away!