# PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHERS: DISPUTES and DISTRESS



## Nuke_TRT

The men and women who answer the calls into our agencies everyday don't receive the respect from the front line public safety responders and the public like they should. They are sometimes treated like second class employees. "There I said it!" How do I know this? I witness it several days a week when it's my turn to work in the house and oversee the operation along with other duties.

Many agencies have non-sworn personnel answering and dispatching the emergency and service calls. I have realized this for 27 years, as I have been assigned to this duty. It is the busiest and toughest job in public safety. These people answer many more calls than what gets dispatched or referred to other agencies. Many calls are for alarms, wellbeing checks, suspicious persons or activities, vehicle crashes, directions, the police chief's office. They also answer the frustrating questions during difficult moments. How do I know when a power failure occurs in my community, we receive the questions inquiring when they will go back on? What is more frustrating is when we inform callers that we don't know and they don't like the answer. More follow up questions along with more frustration. In my department these people dispatch the firefighters and the ambulance from the same location. They also work the front window assisting the public. Oh&#8230;Did I mention they answer the police, fire and regional public safety network radio communications too? I can attest that occasionally they may have some down time when it's quiet but these men and women work and put up with a lot of friction from the public and within the agency.

FULL ARTICLE


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## Kilvinsky

I've been on that soap box for years so I'm with ya 100%.


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## Guest

Nuke_TRT said:


> It is the busiest and toughest job in public safety.


Whoa, whoa, whoa.....no, no, no <sound of backup alarm>.

I dispatched as a sworn officer (one night out of the 4 I was assigned inside permanently) so I've done both jobs, and no way in hell is dispatching/communications as tough as shagging 911 calls. I have a lot of respect for communications personnel, but there isn't much raw danger involved, they don't have to work in the rain, snow, cold, heat, they work as a team and not a single officer in a one-man car who has to make life & death decisions on their own, they definitely don't get assaulted, spit-on, second-guessed by the media & public, and aren't the brunt of juvenile jokes from a public that still firmly believes that jokes about cops and donuts hasn't been played to death for over 20 years.

Good dispatchers are worth their weight in gold, but no way in hell is it the "toughest job in public safety". And before any dispatchers jump all over my shit, remember that I've done your job, you most likely haven't done mine.


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## Kilvinsky

I will concede that it's not the toughest job, Delta, you're absolutely correct on you post with the one exception they get DO second guessed by the media though not as often as by US. I stand by your last paragraph and essentially that's always been my stand. I have lots of respect for my dispatchers (even the ones who don't do as great a job as others) and do realize that that phone rings far more than the radio. For every radio transmission, there's about 10 phone calls.

On my stints as Acting Watch Commander (which hasn't happened in a while) I've seen how valuable they can be when something comes up and, not being inside very often, I have no idea who the hell to call or who the hell is responsible for this and that. They've bailed me out on several occassions. We USED to fill in on occassion, but now any OT goes to other dispatchers, which I feel is fair, but it does cause us to lose touch with what they do.

So, yeah, I'm essentially with you and DO soften my STRONGER statement above.


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## Kilvinsky

Kilvinsky said:


> I've been on that soap box for years so I'm with ya *80%*.


FIFM


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## Guest

Delta784 said:


> Whoa, whoa, whoa.....no, no, no <sound of backup alarm>.
> 
> I dispatched as a sworn officer (one night out of the 4 I was assigned inside permanently) so I've done both jobs, and no way in hell is dispatching/communications as tough as shagging 911 calls. I have a lot of respect for communications personnel, but there isn't much raw danger involved, they don't have to work in the rain, snow, cold, heat, they work as a team and not a single officer in a one-man car who has to make life & death decisions on their own, they definitely don't get assaulted, spit-on, second-guessed by the media & public, and aren't the brunt of juvenile jokes from a public that still firmly believes that jokes about cops and donuts hasn't been played to death for over 20 years.
> 
> Good dispatchers are worth their weight in gold, but no way in hell is it the "toughest job in public safety". And before any dispatchers jump all over my shit, remember that I've done your job, you most likely haven't done mine.


I've been on both sides of this coin and can say that depending on where you dispatch, it can be very stressful, however, the worst that can happen as a dispatcher is that you lose your job because you fucked up. If you fuck up as a cop or get caught in a bad situation, you can die...plain and simple.

I am glad that I have had a chance to experience dispatching, because I now understand how busy it can get in a center, when you are by yourself, answering phones, 911, the window and dispatching PD, FD, EMS and highway all at once. Both ends of the radio should have more patience with one another. If a dispatcher says, "stand by," it's not because they aren't wanting to answer you, it's because they are tied up, therefore, don't get all butt hurt. Also, on the flip side, if you know your officer is in a situation that could turn sour quickly (ie domestic) than the dispatcher should have their attention on that call.

I recently took an EMD course and the instructor said that dispatchers have the second highest suicide rate out of all occupations, first being a dentist. I'm not sure how much truth there is in that, but all I can suggest is that after a "bad call" that emergency personnel have responded to, and when debriefing counseling is offered, they may want to remember to include dispatchers as well.


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## Guest

JamnJim18 said:


> I've been on both sides of this coin and can say that depending on where you dispatch, it can be very stressful, however, the worst that can happen as a dispatcher is that you lose your job because you fucked up. If you fuck up as a cop or get caught in a bad situation, you can die...plain and simple.


I'm not saying it isn't stressful, because I know it can be from experience. But as you mentioned, there are no higher stakes than for the cop on the street. I never had to visit the emergency room from working in communications, but I have several times from working on the street.



JamnJim18 said:


> I am glad that I have had a chance to experience dispatching, because I now understand how busy it can get in a center, when you are by yourself, answering phones, 911, the window and dispatching PD, FD, EMS and highway all at once. Both ends of the radio should have more patience with one another. If a dispatcher says, "stand by," it's not because they aren't wanting to answer you, it's because they are tied up, therefore, don't get all butt hurt. Also, on the flip side, if you know your officer is in a situation that could turn sour quickly (ie domestic) than the dispatcher should have their attention on that call


I firmly believe that all dispatchers should be required to do a ridealong at least once per year, to see exactly what it's like from our perspective. When I hear another cop call dispatch with a tone of concern in his/her voice, it's completely unacceptable to me when they're told to stand-by because the dispatcher is on the phone or there aren't enough because some are out on smoke breaks. The Number One concern should always be the officers on the street.



JamnJim18 said:


> I recently took an EMD course and the instructor said that dispatchers have the second highest suicide rate out of all occupations, first being a dentist. I'm not sure how much truth there is in that, but all I can suggest is that after a "bad call" that emergency personnel have responded to, and when debriefing counseling is offered, they may want to remember to include dispatchers as well.


I did my Master's thesis on PTSD and suicide among police officers, and while dentists do score high on the suicide scale for occupations, police dispatcher didn't even crack the Top 20 on any list I was able to find. I do agree, however, that any post-traumatic intervention should absolutely include the communications people.


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## niteowl1970

I try to tell new dispatchers that if they think they're going to be looked upon as "part of the team" they're going to be very disappointed. I'm lucky in my job to have a great relationship with the officers but that's not always the case.



Delta784 said:


> it's completely unacceptable to me when they're told to stand-by because the dispatcher is on the phone or there aren't enough because some are out on smoke breaks. The Number One concern should always be the officers on the street.


In smaller departments with one dispatcher working alone on a Saturday night it's very tough when a 911 call comes in and the woman is screaming and crying telling you her ex-husband is trying to kick down her front door and he says he has a knife and at the same time an officer is calling you for a Q2 on a vehicle that may or not be stolen. We're forced to prioritize and yes we have a responsibility to the officer on the street but we also have a responsibility to the victim of a crime. I'd NEVER tell an officer to "stand-by" if it's a routine call on the business line, but for certain 911 calls time is of the essence and I can't see putting them on hold. I do my best to keep everyone safe but I know a lot of the time my best isn't going to be good enough for some people.

It's a tough thing having to juggle your responsibility to both the officers and general public and every shift I hope I can handle both successfully so all the officers on shift go home safe and the public can have a positive interaction with law enforcement, fire, or EMS.

That being said smokers that leave every 15-minutes so they can get their drug fix are a big pet peeve of mine.


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## Guest

Delta784 said:


> I firmly believe that all dispatchers should be required to do a ridealong at least once per year, to see exactly what it's like from our perspective. When I hear another cop call dispatch with a tone of concern in his/her voice, it's completely unacceptable to me when they're told to stand-by because the dispatcher is on the phone or there aren't enough because some are out on smoke breaks. The Number One concern should always be the officers on the street.
> .


I 100% agree with you. Every dispatcher should be mandated to do a ride-a-long with police and during that ride-a-long or another, get a chance to go out with the fire dept to see what everyone is going through on the scene.

I've expressed concern on another thread regarding regional dispatch and my fear is that when towns regionalize, response times will slow down even more. I work for a town that will be regionalizing next year and at first, there will be 4 towns in on the agreement and only two dispatchers on per shift. Once it gets going, there is talk about other towns joining the agreement and soon there will be 5 or 6 or hell, even seven towns on 2-3 dispatchers shoulders. What will happen when two or three of those towns are in shitty situations and then fire and ems are rolling out on calls? Want to talk about response time declining in a hurry. I'd absolutely hate to see any officer or another emergency responder get jammed up or hurt because they cannot communicate.

If a dispatcher isn't stressed now, they will be when a situation like that occurs and I'd hate to be the one that is working when an officer gets hurt because we couldn't communicate for one reason or another.

***This is my opinion and does not reflect the opinion of my department or anyone there in.***


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## SinePari

Without reading the whole article, it sounds like a the author is just whining. Boo friggin hoo on your in-house politics if your fellow employees (officers) shit on you. You should be professional enough to work through it. If you want accolades and women showering you with their panties then be a fireman.


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## niteowl1970

And the adversarial relationship perpetuates itself. It'll always be an "us vs them" attitude coming from both sides.

If this article was about police officers venting their frustration about their jobs and having to take bullshit from the public, courts, and their supervisors would there be such an angry response from some members ?


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## Guest

SinePari said:


> Without reading the whole article, it sounds like a the author is just whining. Boo friggin hoo on your in-house politics if your fellow employees (officers) shit on you. You should be professional enough to work through it. If you want accolades and women showering you with their panties then be a fireman.


I wasn't going to say anything, but this struck me the wrong way. To say that a dispatcher should be professional enough to work through being "shit on" by police officers is partly correct, however, shouldn't the officer be professional enough as to not shit on anyone they work with? I've heard officers time and time again shit on dispatchers and say that they are slow, they are bad dispatchers, they are this and that. I've seen the rumor mill fly to the point that dispatchers have left to go work elsewhere. That shouldn't be the case. Honest to god, if you dislike that dispatcher or a dispatcher doesn't like an officer, than be professional while you are working a shift together and then just stay out of each others way. No need to start the inner office bickering or demeaning of someone.


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## SinePari

JamnJim18 said:


> I wasn't going to say anything, but this struck me the wrong way. To say that a dispatcher should be professional enough to work through being "shit on" by police officers is partly correct, however, shouldn't the officer be professional enough as to not shit on anyone they work with? I've heard officers time and time again shit on dispatchers and say that they are slow, they are bad dispatchers, they are this and that. I've seen the rumor mill fly to the point that dispatchers have left to go work elsewhere. That shouldn't be the case. Honest to god, if you dislike that dispatcher or a dispatcher doesn't like an officer, than be professional while you are working a shift together and then just stay out of each others way. No need to start the inner office bickering or demeaning of someone.


Why do you think I was only referring to the dispatchers? In-house politics happen at every job. Either work through it or go somewhere else with that high school crap.


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## Guest

SinePari said:


> Either work through it or go somewhere else with that high school crap.


That goes with all employees. Fire, Police, EMS and Dispatchers.


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## SinePari

Well, I wasn't going to go back and forth but you brought up a counter-point to my "should be professional enough" after getting shit on.

This is where there is a HUGE difference between dispatch and the officers. After getting shit on (sometimes LITERALLY) by a large number of contacts an officer has each day, he/she still must maintain professionalism. They are held to a much higher standard than EVERYONE. 

One must fight the urge to crack some punk across the face with your baton, or backhand some mouthy drunk bitch, or ram a fleeing felon off into the woods. Fighting those urges is what separates professional police officers from the rest of the world. 

So yes, you should be able see how some officers think their job is different and harder. Sometimes it isn't easy and everyone has a moment of weakness, but it's not the same inside the dispatch room, agreed?


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## cousteau

I have also done some time as a sworn dispatcher in my earlier years. There is more talk by civilian dispatchers about how the cops do their jobs than there will ever be from cops complaining about civ. dispatchers. I would bite my tongue overhearing their naive, ignorant comments. I don't care if you have taken phone calls and dispatched and ran a teletype for thirty years. I give thanks where thanks is due but they have no idea, none, what the job is like. Our people are usually pretty good, if not really good on my shift. It does irk me when they are too lazy to ask a suspect description, direction of flight, call-back info. Their performance directly affects us. Recently dispatched to a call where they sent me to the building next to the correct one, said the caller told them he did not know direction of flight, etc. Three cars were in the area, approaching from three directions, and most likely would have encountered suspect vehicle if direction was known. Well, it was known, as when I spoke to caller on scene he told me. WTF. I will state this and stand firmly behind it: for whatever reason, female civilian dispatchers stand well above their male counterparts, at least in my department.


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## SinePari

Some are better than others, just like cops right? One of my dispatchers was training a new-hire. I walk in and he introduces me like this: "This is SinePari. The only time you'll hear from him is when he's chasing someone or coming in with an arrest. No useless chatter from him!"

Hahaha


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