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- November 1990
-
-
- POINT OF VIEW
- DISPATCHING UNITS:
- IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE "FIRST LINE"
-
- By
-
- Bob Blankenship
- Chief
- Redding, California, Police Department
-
-
- Uniformed patrol officers are generally looked upon as the
- most essential element of any police organization. Police
- management views these officers as its first and foremost
- contact with the public. Investigators and detectives are also
- perceived as fulfilling a challenging and worthwhile first-line
- role. Unfortunately, this perception does not always extend to
- police dispatchers.
-
- Generally, dispatchers and other individuals in
- communications and recordkeeping posts are often not as highly
- valued as patrol officers or investigators. Not only is this
- view incorrect, but it also creates serious problems in police
- departments around the country. And, in the future,
- improvements in technology and officer training will be severely
- undermined if dispatching units, in many cases the department's
- first contact with the public, are not re-evaluated and
- improvements implemented.
-
- THE PROBLEM
-
- In most departments, the dispatching unit is part of the
- Records and Communications Division--the nerve center of the
- agency. Here, calls for service are relayed to officers for
- response, and thus, this function serves as the patrol officer's
- life-line to assistance and information.
-
- Obviously, departments would be better served if
- dispatchers remained on the job and became experienced,
- motivated members of the law enforcement team. However, such a
- preferred scenario takes place in only a few departments.
- Personnel in these units are usually expected to perform tasking
- and stressful duties with little training and even less
- recognition. This leads to frustration, job burnout, and
- eventually, decreases the effectiveness of the department in
- serving the community.
-
- In addition to stressful working conditions, relatively low
- pay, and little organizational empathy, dispatchers are expected
- to work in small, cramped rooms with no windows and to answer
- several telephones, radios, and teletype machines, without
- adequate staff to ensure either lunch or rest breaks. These
- conditions, along with a general lack of respect from officers
- and investigators, serve to discourage and frustrate
- dispatchers.
-
- RECOMMENDED CHANGES
-
- Dispatchers often have the first official contact with the
- public. They talk to potential witnesses, victims, and
- survivors of violent attacks. They may also speak to people
- suspected of criminal activity. They keep track of officers in
- the field at all times. They provide information to officers
- for record checks, phone calls, and car stops. Because of the
- importance of these functions, the department should value
- dispatchers as professionals by making every effort to ensure
- that the personnel in these positions are properly selected,
- well-trained, and encouraged to remain with the organization.
-
- Background investigations should be conducted for every
- applicant who an agency considers hiring. Psychological testing
- and evaluation should be mandatory for individuals applying for
- dispatcher positions, enabling an agency to identify those
- candidates who may not be suited to work in a highly stressful
- environment.
-
- Departments should develop a training manual to be given to
- each new dispatcher. The manual should be categorized into
- weeks, with the first week concentrating on basic information,
- such as code numbers most often used by dispatchers and
- officers' call numbers. In succeeding weeks, more detailed
- information should be presented, such as instructing dispatchers
- on the proper way to handle specific situations and other more
- complex topics. Also, dispatchers should be assigned to an
- experienced training officer, one who has been instructed in
- successful training methods for dispatchers.
-
- Dispatchers should attend a mandatory basic dispatcher
- course for a minimum of 40 hours. Here, they should be schooled
- in the criminal and civil code sections dispatchers encounter
- frequently. It is important that dispatchers understand the
- elements of these various code sections. This training should
- also include hands-on, practical exercises in emergency phone
- situations that are often encountered by police dispatchers,
- such as speaking to potential suicides or hostage takers.
- Supervisory dispatchers should receive further supervisory
- training, just as other police managers do.
-
- Agencies should ensure that newly assigned dispatchers are
- familiar with departmental rules, regulations, general orders,
- and chain of command. Dispatchers should also be familiar with
- those employees with whom they will be working, either directly
- or indirectly.
-
- CONCLUSION
-
- Dispatching units are essential to the mission of all
- police agencies. Yet, many departments suffer from high
- turnover and burnout rates for personnel assigned to these
- positions. As the potential pool of candidates for these and
- all law enforcement positions becomes smaller, it will be
- increasingly important for agencies to hire and train qualified
- personnel. Until significant improvements are made in
- dispatching units, however, many departments will find it
- difficult to do so. The recommendations outlined above are
- intended to offer viable solutions to a problem which, left
- unchecked, may result in serious consequences for many
- departments.