Taken from Public Safety Communications Magazine, August 2012
Written by Brian Brown, who has one year of dispatch experience and works for Currituck County Communications in Currituck, N.C.
"If you paln on being an officer, don't take that job at dispatch; they'll never respect you." It is only now, as I devote my workdays to fielding both tedious and exciting calls for service from the public, all while handling radio traffic from field units who may not realize or may not care that I'm doing three or four other things while trying to answer them, do I truly understand the sentiment behind that statement I heard years ago. As a young college student, working on a degree in criminal justice, I couldn't fathom that people who were supposed to all be on the same side wouldn't have basic professional respect for each other. I just took it for granted that we all chose the field to help society and that this would create a common bond among us. Of course, as we all know, this is not always the case.
LACK OF EDUCATION
I've been a telecommunicator for just shy of one year now. As someone who always planned to be on the other side of the radio, sitting at a desk answering the phones and manning the radio simply seemed like a stepping stone to bigger, better things when I applied for the job. Fresh out of college with a B.S. in criminal justice, I wanted to be in the field, and if dispatch was my foot in the door, so be it. What is interesting to point out here is that in all my studies of the system, dispatch is the one topic which I can honestly say was never, ever addressed. No time was spent pointing out that when we put on the badge one day and started taking calls that we were going to be the second responder. There was no praise for that individual who I now realize is the "first first responder," as we like to call ourselves, no acknowledgement that it takes a special kind of person to do what we do. The concept of communications was never addressed in classes that claimed to offer a comprehensive overview of policing. This just goes to show that even those who work in the field of public safety are uneducated when it comes to what goes on in the communications center.
MEDIA'S ROLE
Unfortunately, lack of education is not the only catalyst when it comes to the lack of respect for telecommunicators in general. The media is the primary culprit in generating didain for not only dispatchers, but for police officers, firefighters, paramedics and EMTs, and any number of other public service officials. We all know the reason why: Happy stories don't generate ratings.
More often than not you won't hear about the dispatcher who gave lifesaving CPR instructions to the man who found his wife unconscious in their living room. Instead, major media outlets will run the audio clip of the dispatcher who gets short and snappy with a caller having problems with their child, all the while leaving out that their producers cut out bits of the tape so that you, the shocked and horrifiedd public, won't hear the fire call and traffic stops the dispatcher was trying to juggle at the same time.
This is certainly not to say that negligence or poor customer service should be ignored in our line of work; the fact of the matter is that it cannot be overlooked. But if our mistakes are newsworthy, why shouldn't our triumphs be as well? In a world where a celebrity's choice of outfit for their trip to the grocery store is the makings of a front page headline, why not give a small bit of recognition to those who society relies on to answer their frantic calls for help?
Another sad fact is that the media is given significant ammunition by the varying standards of training required in various locales to be a telecommunicator. For example, we all know EMD to be a key tool in our professions, both to aid the public and to protect ourselves from liability. Unfortunately, this was a foreign concept to me when I started dispatching: in all the times I had called 9-1-1 in my life to request an ambulance, I had never been asked a series of medical questions. To the best of my knowledge, that 9-1-1 center where I used to live still doesn't perform EMD -- a fact that makes me cringe when I think about family and friends there needing to call for medical help.
When it comes down to it, we all know how it is. You have some field units who are great to work with, friendly and competent. They make the shift go by smoothly even in the worst of situations. And then there are those who act as if we're a bother to them, simply another required nuisance to be dealt with in the performance of their duties. They can't imagine that your job is as difficult or important as theirs, albeit in different ways. And forget about trying to change their mind, because we all know that when field units come to visit the dispatch center nothing will happen anywhere in your jurisdiction to give you the chance to show off for them. They don't realize that when they walk out the door the phones may very well light up and send the center into a frenzy of controlled chaos.
HOW THINGS WORK
I never did accept that job at 9-1-1 while I was in college. Fortunately, it wasn't due to the comment that was made about officers not respecting me; it just didn't work out with my class schedule at the time. But I never forgot what was said to me, and it wasn't until sometime last year after my training officer cut me loose and I really got down to it that I truly understood what that friend meant. I really doubt she even understood the dynamic behind the lack of trust and respect in the relationship between responders and dispatchers, she was just commenting on an accepted fact of how things work.
I've come to believe you can't understand this job until you do it, nor will you have the level of respect for dispatchers that they deserve until you are one of them. Even our family and friends don't quite understand, although they know our job is important.
At the end of the day, it's okay that nobody gets it. While the rest of the world heads off to the office, we're probably just getting off duty, trying not to think about some of the things we heard at work, and knowing that the system cannot function without us. The past year of my life has made me realize that being out in the field and visible to the public isn't a necessity when it comes to making a difference in someone's day, if not their life. What really matters is being there, whether in person or on the phone, in that moment when you have a real chance to help someone get through a tough situation.
One thing is certain: Regardless of where my career takes me, either further in communications or perhaps out into the field someday, I'll always have true respect for those individuals who ride the often thankless, emotional rollercoaster that is 9-1-1.
Co-worker Erin Peaden says..."The newcomers are always intrigued the first few days and sometimes even overwhelmed with what they see and hear. At first taken back by all the computer screens and the buttons on the radios, they are under the impression that this could be a fairly sophisticated secretarial job and that answering phones and just listening to people on the radio is fairly easy...About the time they see their new colleagues in action, the respect for the job of a telecommunicator starts to form."
Co-worker Shana McReynolds says..."I applied for this job because I wanted to help people every day. I stayed because I know it is my callling. In the end, the respect that has the most impact on me is the respect that I have for what I do and the people I work so closely with, my fellow telecommunicators. I learned you have to earn respect. Just like anything worth working for in life, it isn't easy. You have to give respect in order to receive it."
9-1-1
9-1-1; What Is Your Emergency?
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
From The Chair: A Column for the Dispatcher
Taken from 9-1-1magazine.com
Date: 4/23/12
Written by Paul D. Bagley; published author of both fiction and non-fiction books, a retired police officer and emergency dispatcher. He is the past president of New Hampshire Emergency Dispatchers Association, and he is editor and publisher of the association's monthly newsletter, "The NHEDA Broadcaster."
Where to begin? The late writer and television commentator Andy Rooney was once asked how he came to choose his profession and his reply was, "It's indoors and there's no heavy lifting." In some ways I suppose I gravitated back toward emergency dispatch after pursuing a law enforcement career for the same reasons. Nothing could be further from reality, though. True, dispatch is indoors; mostly these days. But the no lifting part is where the similarity abruptly ends. Metaphorically speaking those who work in The Chair do more heavy lifting than anyone standing outside the confines of the call center could possibly imagine. It's not a job for wimps. But then, neither is writing.
Preparing a monthly column for 9-1-1magazine.com will be nothing at all like dispatching. It isn't the old stimulus-response routine that one gets when they are seated in The Chair and fielding emergency calls. It's more like being called into the chief's office after a rough-and-tumble overnight shift and told to explain in detail why you handled a call in a way other than the method prescribed in the agency's standard operating guidelines (SOGs).
Despite the many obstacles that commonly stand in the way of an emergency telecommunicator being able to communicate effectively, I'll give it a shot. I am told the purpose of this column is to reflect the thoughts and views of an average contemporary emergency dispatcher. I suppose I meet the criteria, if such a thing actually exists. Frankly, I've never met an "average dispatcher" in my life. Just as every human being is unique, so is every emergency telecommunicator. True, we may all talk in a similar fashion and act alike in given circumstances. When the rubber meets the road, we all handle emergency calls in pretty much the same manner. Where we differ is in how we individually perceive the world in general and how we deal with the stress that is part and parcel of the job. And I shouldn't have to sell any dispatcher on the notion that there is stress in dispatching; face it, this is one of the most stressful jobs on the planet.
Regardless of the call center where one is assigned, there are times when you find yourself in the proverbial "weeds" and unable to see that dim light at the end of that long dark tunnel. It's easy to think that you're the only one who understands what it's like to be in those particular weeds. At one time the center where I've done most of my dispatching had twenty-two incoming phone lines (six of which were the old standard 9-1-1 lines; pre-enhanced), nine radio frequencies, and it served a diverse population of some 60,000. We dispatched for all of the police, fire, ambulance, public works and emergency management agencies for six different towns, we had some four to five hundred varied alarms that were monitored, and we were individually trained and responsible for performing emergency medical dispatch (EMD) while handling other calls. At best we had two dispatchers working at redundant consoles at any given time. During the majority of the hours of each day all that responsibility was heaped upon the narrow shoulders of a single dispatcher.
I once met a girl during a training seminar who was complaining about being overwhelmed in her call center. "Sometimes I have to answer the radio and both phones...at the same time!" she said. "Wow, both phones and a radio? How do you manage it?" I asked sarcastically. Okay, I was guilty of not showing empathy for a fellow dispatcher. But I had no idea what the call volume was like at her center, or even the level of responsibility being levied upon her. But, in time, I did learn a valuable lesson from that brief conversation so many years ago: every dispatcher gets overwhelmed at some point...it's the nature of the beast. Overwhelmed is a relative term though; relative to the norm at your center. Had that girl been dumped into my workplace during a quiet time she would have been shellshocked in a matter of minutes and run screaming into the streets to get away. But the same probably would have been true had I been dumped into her center without familiarization or training. The level of stress experienced by each dispatcher is directly proportional to their level of training, experience and familiarization with the specific dispatch environment in which they work. Even the best trained, most experienced of us get stressed when a crescendo of calls suddenly develops into total pandemonium. While all those around us are losing their heads, we are still expected to remain calm, cool and collected. We don't contribute to the chaos; we simply remedy it.
Let's get back to this notion of dispatchers being average. There is nothing average about someone who is willing to work nights, weekends, and holidays, who survives on coffee and take-out food, and who makes their living dealing with people who are at their absolute worst. Ridiculously low pay and little chance of promotion, often long hours due to under staffing by an unsympathetic management, lousy chairs to sit in, lousy lighting conditions, lousy diet, a climate-control system that never controls the climate, and an inability to ever finish a sentence of a bite of food, or even go to the restroom when you need to: these are but a few of the commonalities of most, if not all, emergency dispatch centers. The average person could do that in a heartbeat, couldn't they? Right!
If those managing emergency call centers are not experienced in The Chair they have no point-of-reference and undoubtedly lack the requisite understanding for supervising the operation properly. If they honestly believe that virtually anyone can be plopped into dispatch these days then they need to be reeducated. That is a task that likely falls to line personnel to make the boss acutely aware of the truth. Not only can the average person not handle dispatch, the average cop, firefighter or paramedic can't do it either. Sure, they may be rugged firefighters who can take down a working structure fire single-handedly; or some he-man cop that can run down an armed robber without breaking a sweat. As a paramedic they might be able to cure a patient of TB simply by looking at them. But as dispatchers, they'd all fail miserably, and putting them in The Chair would be tantamount to handing over a loaded .357 magnum to a five-year-old and telling him to have a nice day.
The primary reason field personnel have difficulty with dispatching is that they're trained and programmed to use all five of their senses in order to ascertain problems and resolve them. Dispatchers are limited to only one of those five senses: their hearing. The ability to listen is the most vital tool in the dispatcher's arsenal. Nature gave us two ears and only one mouth, and experienced emergency telecommunicators have learned that those instruments need to be utilized in that same ratio -- two to one. Listening to what's going on in the background of a call is often just as important as what the caller is saying or doing. Sometimes the key to understanding what's really going on at the other end of the line is what isn't being said or heard.
Effective dispatching also requires a keen understanding of human nature, the ability to cut through the rhetoric to get to the heart of a matter, and often the ability to stall for time. Dispatchers need to know when to check on personnel in the field, regardless of what the CAD timer is saying. They need to plan in advance and anticipate what the next move will be so that when the field commander calls for something it's already available or on the way. Dispatchers need to be true triage artists and, because of those two ears and that one mouth, they are actually the first responder on the scene of every emergency call and the first to assume command.
Dispatching is completely misunderstood as a profession by anyone and everyone that isn't an integral part of it. Just like an iceberg, only ten percent of what emergency dispatchers accomplish can be seen or heard outside of the communications center. Whether it is listening to recordings of the radio and telephone traffic involved, only a small fragment of what that dispatcher was actually hearing, seeing and experiencing shows up for analysis by the Monday-morning quarterbacks. It's fine to listen to a single phone call on tape to see how it was handled. But until the recording of that call is overlaid with all the other recorded traffic in real time, the listener can't possibly begin to fathom all that was going on inside that center. It's always been my contention that the actions of the dispatcher should rarely be second-guessed because an after-action review can't begin to fully recreate all the conditions that existed at that critical point in time when the dispatcher was making those split-second decisions.
My father-in-law used to say you can help a thousand old ladies across the street, but kick one dog and that's what you'll be remembered for. Those who serve on the front lines in dispatch know that sentiment well. I'm reminded of one of Charles Schultz characters - Linus, I think - who said once that, "Doing a good job around here is like wetting your pants in a dark suit, it gives you a nice warm feeling for a while, but nobody notices!" Sorry to say, that comes with the territory. The public only notices dispatchers when they do something wrong.
The iceberg theory also explains the lack of understanding from field personnel and why they get so anxious when they aren't answered instantly. "What could that dispatcher possibly be doing that's more important than answering me?" That's what's running through those minds out there, and maybe it's understandable to a degree. After all, most emergency operatives find themselves in precarious situations removed from the safety and security of their stations or offices, and their only exposure to dispatchers has been via the phone or radio; they haven't a clue as to the complexities of the job or of the overwhelming cacophony of noise that the average dispatcher must endure during a single shift. Just like the public, they only see a small fraction of what we do.
So, where to begin? I chose to begin this regular column by first acknowledging that my fellow emergency dispatchers are pretty special people. Each possesses some amazing talents that they can use for the greater good of mankind. In that sense, dispatchers are altruistic in the strictest sense of the word. I'm proud that I am an emergency telecommunicator, and I hope all of my compatriots feel the same way. My career began in The Chair, with a side trip through law enforcement and back into The Chair. I understand the many and varied demands placed upon dispatchers and both empathize and sympathize with them. I shall endeavor in this forum to uncover some truth in a public arena where the whole truth can quite often be obscured. I will attempt to offer ideas and suggestions on how to make this absurd career choice of ours more tolerable and simultaneously elevate it to the term profession which it so richly deserves. I encourage and welcome your thoughts and ideas and I will do my best to incorporate them into the mix as we move along.
It has been said all too often that dispatchers are some of the unsung heroes of our society. Heroes; possibly...unsung; certainly! But, if you had been looking for glory, you weren't likely to find it by taking a seat in The Chair.
Date: 4/23/12
Written by Paul D. Bagley; published author of both fiction and non-fiction books, a retired police officer and emergency dispatcher. He is the past president of New Hampshire Emergency Dispatchers Association, and he is editor and publisher of the association's monthly newsletter, "The NHEDA Broadcaster."
Where to begin? The late writer and television commentator Andy Rooney was once asked how he came to choose his profession and his reply was, "It's indoors and there's no heavy lifting." In some ways I suppose I gravitated back toward emergency dispatch after pursuing a law enforcement career for the same reasons. Nothing could be further from reality, though. True, dispatch is indoors; mostly these days. But the no lifting part is where the similarity abruptly ends. Metaphorically speaking those who work in The Chair do more heavy lifting than anyone standing outside the confines of the call center could possibly imagine. It's not a job for wimps. But then, neither is writing.
Preparing a monthly column for 9-1-1magazine.com will be nothing at all like dispatching. It isn't the old stimulus-response routine that one gets when they are seated in The Chair and fielding emergency calls. It's more like being called into the chief's office after a rough-and-tumble overnight shift and told to explain in detail why you handled a call in a way other than the method prescribed in the agency's standard operating guidelines (SOGs).
Despite the many obstacles that commonly stand in the way of an emergency telecommunicator being able to communicate effectively, I'll give it a shot. I am told the purpose of this column is to reflect the thoughts and views of an average contemporary emergency dispatcher. I suppose I meet the criteria, if such a thing actually exists. Frankly, I've never met an "average dispatcher" in my life. Just as every human being is unique, so is every emergency telecommunicator. True, we may all talk in a similar fashion and act alike in given circumstances. When the rubber meets the road, we all handle emergency calls in pretty much the same manner. Where we differ is in how we individually perceive the world in general and how we deal with the stress that is part and parcel of the job. And I shouldn't have to sell any dispatcher on the notion that there is stress in dispatching; face it, this is one of the most stressful jobs on the planet.
Regardless of the call center where one is assigned, there are times when you find yourself in the proverbial "weeds" and unable to see that dim light at the end of that long dark tunnel. It's easy to think that you're the only one who understands what it's like to be in those particular weeds. At one time the center where I've done most of my dispatching had twenty-two incoming phone lines (six of which were the old standard 9-1-1 lines; pre-enhanced), nine radio frequencies, and it served a diverse population of some 60,000. We dispatched for all of the police, fire, ambulance, public works and emergency management agencies for six different towns, we had some four to five hundred varied alarms that were monitored, and we were individually trained and responsible for performing emergency medical dispatch (EMD) while handling other calls. At best we had two dispatchers working at redundant consoles at any given time. During the majority of the hours of each day all that responsibility was heaped upon the narrow shoulders of a single dispatcher.
I once met a girl during a training seminar who was complaining about being overwhelmed in her call center. "Sometimes I have to answer the radio and both phones...at the same time!" she said. "Wow, both phones and a radio? How do you manage it?" I asked sarcastically. Okay, I was guilty of not showing empathy for a fellow dispatcher. But I had no idea what the call volume was like at her center, or even the level of responsibility being levied upon her. But, in time, I did learn a valuable lesson from that brief conversation so many years ago: every dispatcher gets overwhelmed at some point...it's the nature of the beast. Overwhelmed is a relative term though; relative to the norm at your center. Had that girl been dumped into my workplace during a quiet time she would have been shellshocked in a matter of minutes and run screaming into the streets to get away. But the same probably would have been true had I been dumped into her center without familiarization or training. The level of stress experienced by each dispatcher is directly proportional to their level of training, experience and familiarization with the specific dispatch environment in which they work. Even the best trained, most experienced of us get stressed when a crescendo of calls suddenly develops into total pandemonium. While all those around us are losing their heads, we are still expected to remain calm, cool and collected. We don't contribute to the chaos; we simply remedy it.
Let's get back to this notion of dispatchers being average. There is nothing average about someone who is willing to work nights, weekends, and holidays, who survives on coffee and take-out food, and who makes their living dealing with people who are at their absolute worst. Ridiculously low pay and little chance of promotion, often long hours due to under staffing by an unsympathetic management, lousy chairs to sit in, lousy lighting conditions, lousy diet, a climate-control system that never controls the climate, and an inability to ever finish a sentence of a bite of food, or even go to the restroom when you need to: these are but a few of the commonalities of most, if not all, emergency dispatch centers. The average person could do that in a heartbeat, couldn't they? Right!
If those managing emergency call centers are not experienced in The Chair they have no point-of-reference and undoubtedly lack the requisite understanding for supervising the operation properly. If they honestly believe that virtually anyone can be plopped into dispatch these days then they need to be reeducated. That is a task that likely falls to line personnel to make the boss acutely aware of the truth. Not only can the average person not handle dispatch, the average cop, firefighter or paramedic can't do it either. Sure, they may be rugged firefighters who can take down a working structure fire single-handedly; or some he-man cop that can run down an armed robber without breaking a sweat. As a paramedic they might be able to cure a patient of TB simply by looking at them. But as dispatchers, they'd all fail miserably, and putting them in The Chair would be tantamount to handing over a loaded .357 magnum to a five-year-old and telling him to have a nice day.
The primary reason field personnel have difficulty with dispatching is that they're trained and programmed to use all five of their senses in order to ascertain problems and resolve them. Dispatchers are limited to only one of those five senses: their hearing. The ability to listen is the most vital tool in the dispatcher's arsenal. Nature gave us two ears and only one mouth, and experienced emergency telecommunicators have learned that those instruments need to be utilized in that same ratio -- two to one. Listening to what's going on in the background of a call is often just as important as what the caller is saying or doing. Sometimes the key to understanding what's really going on at the other end of the line is what isn't being said or heard.
Effective dispatching also requires a keen understanding of human nature, the ability to cut through the rhetoric to get to the heart of a matter, and often the ability to stall for time. Dispatchers need to know when to check on personnel in the field, regardless of what the CAD timer is saying. They need to plan in advance and anticipate what the next move will be so that when the field commander calls for something it's already available or on the way. Dispatchers need to be true triage artists and, because of those two ears and that one mouth, they are actually the first responder on the scene of every emergency call and the first to assume command.
Dispatching is completely misunderstood as a profession by anyone and everyone that isn't an integral part of it. Just like an iceberg, only ten percent of what emergency dispatchers accomplish can be seen or heard outside of the communications center. Whether it is listening to recordings of the radio and telephone traffic involved, only a small fragment of what that dispatcher was actually hearing, seeing and experiencing shows up for analysis by the Monday-morning quarterbacks. It's fine to listen to a single phone call on tape to see how it was handled. But until the recording of that call is overlaid with all the other recorded traffic in real time, the listener can't possibly begin to fathom all that was going on inside that center. It's always been my contention that the actions of the dispatcher should rarely be second-guessed because an after-action review can't begin to fully recreate all the conditions that existed at that critical point in time when the dispatcher was making those split-second decisions.
My father-in-law used to say you can help a thousand old ladies across the street, but kick one dog and that's what you'll be remembered for. Those who serve on the front lines in dispatch know that sentiment well. I'm reminded of one of Charles Schultz characters - Linus, I think - who said once that, "Doing a good job around here is like wetting your pants in a dark suit, it gives you a nice warm feeling for a while, but nobody notices!" Sorry to say, that comes with the territory. The public only notices dispatchers when they do something wrong.
The iceberg theory also explains the lack of understanding from field personnel and why they get so anxious when they aren't answered instantly. "What could that dispatcher possibly be doing that's more important than answering me?" That's what's running through those minds out there, and maybe it's understandable to a degree. After all, most emergency operatives find themselves in precarious situations removed from the safety and security of their stations or offices, and their only exposure to dispatchers has been via the phone or radio; they haven't a clue as to the complexities of the job or of the overwhelming cacophony of noise that the average dispatcher must endure during a single shift. Just like the public, they only see a small fraction of what we do.
So, where to begin? I chose to begin this regular column by first acknowledging that my fellow emergency dispatchers are pretty special people. Each possesses some amazing talents that they can use for the greater good of mankind. In that sense, dispatchers are altruistic in the strictest sense of the word. I'm proud that I am an emergency telecommunicator, and I hope all of my compatriots feel the same way. My career began in The Chair, with a side trip through law enforcement and back into The Chair. I understand the many and varied demands placed upon dispatchers and both empathize and sympathize with them. I shall endeavor in this forum to uncover some truth in a public arena where the whole truth can quite often be obscured. I will attempt to offer ideas and suggestions on how to make this absurd career choice of ours more tolerable and simultaneously elevate it to the term profession which it so richly deserves. I encourage and welcome your thoughts and ideas and I will do my best to incorporate them into the mix as we move along.
It has been said all too often that dispatchers are some of the unsung heroes of our society. Heroes; possibly...unsung; certainly! But, if you had been looking for glory, you weren't likely to find it by taking a seat in The Chair.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Mental Illness: A Primer for Telecommunicators
Taken from Public Safety Communications Magazine, March 2012
Written by Kelly M. Sharp, a 911 police/fire/medical dispatcher who has been training dispatchers since 1996. She holds a master's degree in education and is certified as a training officer by APCO International and CJTC.
911. What is your emergency?
My daughter is bipolar and won't go to her room.
911. What is your emergency?
There's a Martian wandering in my backyard, and I need the police to send him back into space.
911. What is your emergency?
Ummm...do you know my son Alex? He lives with me, and he likes goulash.
When an incoming call starts out like that, you sometimes groan and think, "Now what am I supposed to do?" Let's face it: Dealing with the mentally ill can sometimes strain the abilities of even the most experienced calltaker. Sure you can muddle through, and you do it well most of the time. But don't you sometimes wonder why you can say the same thing to two people who are in crisis and each responds differently? Does it really make a difference if they are manic or psychotic? Would it be easier to process the call if you knew how to talk with the mentally ill more effectively?
Taking a call from a person with mental illness doesn't have to be complicated, according to Ellis Amdur, author of Everything on the Line: Calming and De-escalation of Aggressive and Mentally Ill Individuals on the Phone, a Comprehensive Guidebook for Emergency Dispatch (9-1-1) Centers. According to Amdur, most 9-1-1 calls involving mental illness fall into four groups: psychosis, delusional thinking, manic depressive/bipolar and depression. Figuring out which one you're dealing with begins with understanding the difference between diagnoses and symptoms.
WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN
Callers will often say, "My daughter is bipolar" or "My son is psychotic." But that gives you nothing to go on. It's a diagnosis of a disease, not a description of a situation. It's no different from a son calling for an ambulance for his diabetic mother, only to reveal through questioning that her symptoms show she has chest pains.
Just like in a medical call, understanding the symptoms can point you the direction you want to go with the rest of a call. Take a caller who says he's psychotic for example. What does that mean?
Psychosis can show up as hallucinations or delusions, or both at once. Hallucinations are about sensory perception. For someone having hallucinations, what they see, hear, smell or feel is real, and nothing you say can convince them otherwise.
To get an idea of what they're experiencing, Amdur suggests closing your eyes while someone else is talking. Can you still hear them? This is the same thing that happens during an auditory hallucination. Trying to tell the caller no one's there is futile. To them, if they can hear it, you should be able to also. If you can't, you're the one with the problem.
People with delusions are those who come across as living in a world much different from yours. In their world, people believe in brain implants that broadcast secret messages, stalking by the FBI and ongoing burglaries by imaginary Ninjas, and they demand that you accept their reality.
"Once they begin talking about their delusion, there is a kind of a pressure in their speech. They have to tell you what they have to tell you, and they are locked in," Amdur says.
With so many things going on in their heads, how are you supposed to figure out what they want? You have to get past the delusion to reach the person who is calling for help. Simply understanding that this person's reality is much different from yours and accepting that what they see and feel are real to them can speed up that process. Then you need to have patience and use clarity and repetitive persistence to get through to them.
"If you hammer at them,...you won't get good information," Amdur says.
"It's going to be very hard to get them to focus on why they are calling," he admits. These will be the people who call, get frustrated and hang up because they cannot communicate clearly, or who become angry when they feel you don't understand what they are reporting.
Try reassuring them you are there to help keep them safe, and you hear what they are saying. For those who can't stay on topic, Amdur suggests reining them in by reminding them why they called 9-1-1. "Help them get back online," he suggests. For example, acknowledge to that male caller that you understand he's upset about the chip in his head, and then remind him he called about an auto prowl.
Sometimes getting through to someone with psychosis is so frustrating it seems easier to agree with everything they say just to get them off the phone. "The problem with buying into [their delusion] is you are now an authority figure who agrees with them," Amdur says. This can be dangerous because you don't know where the delusion will take them.
Take "Sam" for example. Sam is upset that the neighbor is using spy satellites to listen in on his conversations and has bugged his phones. You have listened to this same story four times today and end up agreeing the neighbor shouldn't be using technology to spy on him. Here's the catch: You, as the authority figure, may have just inadvertently given Sam permission to blow up the neighbor's house to destroy the spy stuff.
Instead, you can acknowledge that Sam is upset with his neighbor and suggest options for how he can address his feelings through talking with the local crisis center or mental health professional. In the first example, you are agreeing with his delusion and his plans to deal with it. In the second, you are acknowledging his feelings and connecting him with someone who can help him.
DISORGANIZED THINKING
Some callers who appear to be delusional are really suffering from disorganized thinking. Often found in dementia patients, those with disabilities and children, disorganized thinking means the person cannot organize the information both inside their head and coming from the world around them. It's not surprising, then, that they can't communicate effectively. What's in their brain doesn't come out in the correct words. These are the callers who simply ramble in answer to the question, "What is your emergency?" But that doesn't mean they don't need you.
Take an elderly disorganized woman for example. She's calling to report that she has been assaulted by her son, who is also her caregiver. She remembers that 9-1-1 is the number to call for help but may not be able to express what kind of help she needs when you answer the line. She knows it's wrong for her son to hit her but has forgotten why it is wrong, so she can't explain her situation.
A disorganized caller could be a developmentally disabled teen reporting a fire, an elderly person who has not eaten in three days or a child who has been abused. They know enough to call 9-1-1, but they may not remember what to say when you answer.
Communicating with a disorganized thinker requires patience and repetitive persistence and often will need police of medical dispatched simply to figure out what's happening. "Until proven otherwise, in my opinion this warrants a welfare check," Amdur says.
EXCITED TO BE HERE
Unlike people with psychosis or disorganized thinking, people showing symptoms of mania are in the same world you are. They're just very excited to be here.
"The manic person generally talks very fast...and can run from one thought to another," Amdur says. "They sound excited, and they can be boisterous and loud."
Someone who is manic is not necessarily violent but can become antagonistic because they're so wound up. This is the person who inadvertently starts a bar fight simply because he's annoying everyone around him. "They don't plan to be aggressive; it just happens due to a lack of impulse control," Admur explains.
It's this lack of control, combined with rapid-fire talking and screaming, that can make communicating with someone in a manic state such a challenge. To get them to focus, Amdur suggests saying, "I really want to hear what you are saying, but you are talking so fast I can't understand you. I need you to slow down."
One of the biggest challenges in dealing with a person having a manic episode is not getting drawn into his conversation. Although a manic person may come across as personable and entertaining, laughing or joking can quickly spin them into aggression if they believe you're making fun of them.
Knowing that you have someone who is showing these symptoms is critical information to relay to responders, but the word mania can mean different things to different people. "Don't say to an officer, 'I think he's manic,'" Amdur cautions. "Instead say, 'he sounds manic' and then describe what that means."
HELPLESS & HOPELESS
The opposite end from mania can be depression. "Depression is not sadness; instead, what we are looking for is expressions of helplessness about their own life, hopelessness that things will ever get better and all-or-nothing statements," Amdur says.
The depressed caller may be the person who is distraught because she told her daughter that the dress she was wearing didn't suit her, and she now believes their relationship is over. She is convinced that because she said something critical, her daughter will hate her forever.
We often envision the depressed person as someone who is actively suicidal or as someone lethargic, lying in bed with the covers up over their head refusing to interact with those around them. But those with depression, especially men, can also be angry and aggressive, demanding people notice them.
So when someone calls and says, "My doctor says I'm depressed," where do you start? Again, deal with the symptoms, not the diagnosis. Is the individual reporting an emergency? Is he or she suicidal? Do they just need someone to talk to? Begin with a suicide assessment to ensure the person and those around them are safe. If the caller is not suicidal, try simply asking why they called. Are they reporting their car was broken into and just letting you know that this depressed them? Do they need a police or medical response, or will a transfer to a crisis line or connection with a mental health professional to discuss coping skills work instead?
When dispatching calls involving symptoms of depression, be sure you explain how that information fits into the call. Never say, "The caller is depressed." Instead, try, "The caller says he suffers from depression and is very argumentative with the calltaker." Sure, it's wordy, but it draws a much clearer picture.
COMPASSIONATE CARE
Communicating with the mentally ill can be frustrating, but your priorities should remain safety and compassion.
"Aside from the danger mentally ill people can present, they are exponentially more likely to be the victim of a crime, and that may be hard for them to communicate," Amdur says.
In other words, the person raving about a green man with purple hair roaming through her kitchen may actually be trying to explain that her home was burglarized while she was walking the dog. She just can't get her brain to connect with what she wants to tell you.
In a perfect world, all calltakers would be able to take advantage of crisis intervention training (CIT) to help them understand how to communicate with the mentally ill. CIT programs provide education on the different aspects of mental illness, community resources and an opportunity to practice new skills. But for those who don't have the luxury of formal education, or designated policies and procedures, sometimes having just a bit of extra knowledge can smooth the process when dealing with someone who needs special care.
Written by Kelly M. Sharp, a 911 police/fire/medical dispatcher who has been training dispatchers since 1996. She holds a master's degree in education and is certified as a training officer by APCO International and CJTC.
911. What is your emergency?
My daughter is bipolar and won't go to her room.
911. What is your emergency?
There's a Martian wandering in my backyard, and I need the police to send him back into space.
911. What is your emergency?
Ummm...do you know my son Alex? He lives with me, and he likes goulash.
When an incoming call starts out like that, you sometimes groan and think, "Now what am I supposed to do?" Let's face it: Dealing with the mentally ill can sometimes strain the abilities of even the most experienced calltaker. Sure you can muddle through, and you do it well most of the time. But don't you sometimes wonder why you can say the same thing to two people who are in crisis and each responds differently? Does it really make a difference if they are manic or psychotic? Would it be easier to process the call if you knew how to talk with the mentally ill more effectively?
Taking a call from a person with mental illness doesn't have to be complicated, according to Ellis Amdur, author of Everything on the Line: Calming and De-escalation of Aggressive and Mentally Ill Individuals on the Phone, a Comprehensive Guidebook for Emergency Dispatch (9-1-1) Centers. According to Amdur, most 9-1-1 calls involving mental illness fall into four groups: psychosis, delusional thinking, manic depressive/bipolar and depression. Figuring out which one you're dealing with begins with understanding the difference between diagnoses and symptoms.
WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN
Callers will often say, "My daughter is bipolar" or "My son is psychotic." But that gives you nothing to go on. It's a diagnosis of a disease, not a description of a situation. It's no different from a son calling for an ambulance for his diabetic mother, only to reveal through questioning that her symptoms show she has chest pains.
Just like in a medical call, understanding the symptoms can point you the direction you want to go with the rest of a call. Take a caller who says he's psychotic for example. What does that mean?
Psychosis can show up as hallucinations or delusions, or both at once. Hallucinations are about sensory perception. For someone having hallucinations, what they see, hear, smell or feel is real, and nothing you say can convince them otherwise.
To get an idea of what they're experiencing, Amdur suggests closing your eyes while someone else is talking. Can you still hear them? This is the same thing that happens during an auditory hallucination. Trying to tell the caller no one's there is futile. To them, if they can hear it, you should be able to also. If you can't, you're the one with the problem.
People with delusions are those who come across as living in a world much different from yours. In their world, people believe in brain implants that broadcast secret messages, stalking by the FBI and ongoing burglaries by imaginary Ninjas, and they demand that you accept their reality.
"Once they begin talking about their delusion, there is a kind of a pressure in their speech. They have to tell you what they have to tell you, and they are locked in," Amdur says.
With so many things going on in their heads, how are you supposed to figure out what they want? You have to get past the delusion to reach the person who is calling for help. Simply understanding that this person's reality is much different from yours and accepting that what they see and feel are real to them can speed up that process. Then you need to have patience and use clarity and repetitive persistence to get through to them.
"If you hammer at them,...you won't get good information," Amdur says.
"It's going to be very hard to get them to focus on why they are calling," he admits. These will be the people who call, get frustrated and hang up because they cannot communicate clearly, or who become angry when they feel you don't understand what they are reporting.
Try reassuring them you are there to help keep them safe, and you hear what they are saying. For those who can't stay on topic, Amdur suggests reining them in by reminding them why they called 9-1-1. "Help them get back online," he suggests. For example, acknowledge to that male caller that you understand he's upset about the chip in his head, and then remind him he called about an auto prowl.
Sometimes getting through to someone with psychosis is so frustrating it seems easier to agree with everything they say just to get them off the phone. "The problem with buying into [their delusion] is you are now an authority figure who agrees with them," Amdur says. This can be dangerous because you don't know where the delusion will take them.
Take "Sam" for example. Sam is upset that the neighbor is using spy satellites to listen in on his conversations and has bugged his phones. You have listened to this same story four times today and end up agreeing the neighbor shouldn't be using technology to spy on him. Here's the catch: You, as the authority figure, may have just inadvertently given Sam permission to blow up the neighbor's house to destroy the spy stuff.
Instead, you can acknowledge that Sam is upset with his neighbor and suggest options for how he can address his feelings through talking with the local crisis center or mental health professional. In the first example, you are agreeing with his delusion and his plans to deal with it. In the second, you are acknowledging his feelings and connecting him with someone who can help him.
DISORGANIZED THINKING
Some callers who appear to be delusional are really suffering from disorganized thinking. Often found in dementia patients, those with disabilities and children, disorganized thinking means the person cannot organize the information both inside their head and coming from the world around them. It's not surprising, then, that they can't communicate effectively. What's in their brain doesn't come out in the correct words. These are the callers who simply ramble in answer to the question, "What is your emergency?" But that doesn't mean they don't need you.
Take an elderly disorganized woman for example. She's calling to report that she has been assaulted by her son, who is also her caregiver. She remembers that 9-1-1 is the number to call for help but may not be able to express what kind of help she needs when you answer the line. She knows it's wrong for her son to hit her but has forgotten why it is wrong, so she can't explain her situation.
A disorganized caller could be a developmentally disabled teen reporting a fire, an elderly person who has not eaten in three days or a child who has been abused. They know enough to call 9-1-1, but they may not remember what to say when you answer.
Communicating with a disorganized thinker requires patience and repetitive persistence and often will need police of medical dispatched simply to figure out what's happening. "Until proven otherwise, in my opinion this warrants a welfare check," Amdur says.
EXCITED TO BE HERE
Unlike people with psychosis or disorganized thinking, people showing symptoms of mania are in the same world you are. They're just very excited to be here.
"The manic person generally talks very fast...and can run from one thought to another," Amdur says. "They sound excited, and they can be boisterous and loud."
Someone who is manic is not necessarily violent but can become antagonistic because they're so wound up. This is the person who inadvertently starts a bar fight simply because he's annoying everyone around him. "They don't plan to be aggressive; it just happens due to a lack of impulse control," Admur explains.
It's this lack of control, combined with rapid-fire talking and screaming, that can make communicating with someone in a manic state such a challenge. To get them to focus, Amdur suggests saying, "I really want to hear what you are saying, but you are talking so fast I can't understand you. I need you to slow down."
One of the biggest challenges in dealing with a person having a manic episode is not getting drawn into his conversation. Although a manic person may come across as personable and entertaining, laughing or joking can quickly spin them into aggression if they believe you're making fun of them.
Knowing that you have someone who is showing these symptoms is critical information to relay to responders, but the word mania can mean different things to different people. "Don't say to an officer, 'I think he's manic,'" Amdur cautions. "Instead say, 'he sounds manic' and then describe what that means."
HELPLESS & HOPELESS
The opposite end from mania can be depression. "Depression is not sadness; instead, what we are looking for is expressions of helplessness about their own life, hopelessness that things will ever get better and all-or-nothing statements," Amdur says.
The depressed caller may be the person who is distraught because she told her daughter that the dress she was wearing didn't suit her, and she now believes their relationship is over. She is convinced that because she said something critical, her daughter will hate her forever.
We often envision the depressed person as someone who is actively suicidal or as someone lethargic, lying in bed with the covers up over their head refusing to interact with those around them. But those with depression, especially men, can also be angry and aggressive, demanding people notice them.
So when someone calls and says, "My doctor says I'm depressed," where do you start? Again, deal with the symptoms, not the diagnosis. Is the individual reporting an emergency? Is he or she suicidal? Do they just need someone to talk to? Begin with a suicide assessment to ensure the person and those around them are safe. If the caller is not suicidal, try simply asking why they called. Are they reporting their car was broken into and just letting you know that this depressed them? Do they need a police or medical response, or will a transfer to a crisis line or connection with a mental health professional to discuss coping skills work instead?
When dispatching calls involving symptoms of depression, be sure you explain how that information fits into the call. Never say, "The caller is depressed." Instead, try, "The caller says he suffers from depression and is very argumentative with the calltaker." Sure, it's wordy, but it draws a much clearer picture.
COMPASSIONATE CARE
Communicating with the mentally ill can be frustrating, but your priorities should remain safety and compassion.
"Aside from the danger mentally ill people can present, they are exponentially more likely to be the victim of a crime, and that may be hard for them to communicate," Amdur says.
In other words, the person raving about a green man with purple hair roaming through her kitchen may actually be trying to explain that her home was burglarized while she was walking the dog. She just can't get her brain to connect with what she wants to tell you.
In a perfect world, all calltakers would be able to take advantage of crisis intervention training (CIT) to help them understand how to communicate with the mentally ill. CIT programs provide education on the different aspects of mental illness, community resources and an opportunity to practice new skills. But for those who don't have the luxury of formal education, or designated policies and procedures, sometimes having just a bit of extra knowledge can smooth the process when dealing with someone who needs special care.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The Telecommunicators Role in Gang Cases: A Police Officer's Perspective
Taken from Public Safety Communications Magazine, December 2011
Written by Matthew O'Deane, PhD, investigator for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
When gang cops hit the street and begin the daunting task of addressing gangs and the crimes they commit, they typically have peace of mind in the fact that they have communications personnel standing by to assist. I have worked hundreds of operations against gangs and as I reflect on the individual operations, they were successful in large part due to the efforts of a telecommunicator assigned to the operation.
When working such operations as gang sweeps, saturation patrols, warrant compliance operations or daily street-level suppression, police officers need to have a skilled telecommunicator monitoring the operation frequency to make sure officers have the critical information they need in a timely manner.
During gang operations, the activity officers engage in is typically generated one of two ways, either via a radio call for service or a self-initiated contact.
RADIO CALLS
During gang operations, telecommunicators often receive calls from individuals who need assistance or want to report suspicious or criminal activity they believe is being conducted by gang members or suspected gang members. The telecommunicator will determine the type of assistance needed by carefully listening to the caller. The questions a telecommunicator may ask will help them find out the type of issue, its severity and the location of the problem.
Taking these calls requires a considerable degree of initiative and independent judgment to respond to emotional, disturbed and sometimes abusive people in a variety of situations. Once information is obtained from the caller, the telecommunicator activates the necessary services. A good telecommunicator is critical in gang cases; the information they skillfully extract from callers may make the difference of life or death, or the difference of the suspect being apprehended or getting away.
Telecommunicators attempt to determine the location and nature of the call, the who, what, when and where questions ascertaining the gangs involved, monikers if known, descriptions of people and vehicles and so on. Once the information is received, the telecommunicator will determine which units are available for dispatch and send the appropriate number of units in response to the call for assistance.
Once units are dispatched, the work of the telecommunicator is not over. They must maintain contact with all units working that assignment, and maintain and update the status and location of all police units working the operation. Once officers arrive on scene, additional work is required of telecommunicators. Police officers will need the telecommunicator to enter, update and retrieve information from a variety of computer systems. Exampe: A police officer may arrive on scene and see the suspects in a vehicle, which may trigger a request for registration or driving records and warrant checks.
The telecommunicator must monitor public safety radio frequencies and operate a variety of communications equipment, including radio consoles, telephones and computer systems while assisting officers in the field. During these calls, the telecommunicator must monitor radio traffic before, during and after these contacts and investigations, and record their disposition. Many of these calls may result in an arrest, for example, which will require the arresting unit to be out of service for the duration required to process the prisoner(s). The telecommunicator may need to assign units case numbers; dispatch tow trucks, prisoner vans or evidence-collection units; or call out detectives. Telecommunicators maintain files of information relating to personnel rosters and emergency call-out lists to make the proper notifications and get the proper resources to the scene in a timely manner.
SELF-INITIATED CALLS
When gang officers make contact with gang members, the telecommunicator will often process information for the police officers. When an officer initiates contact with a gang member or group, the first thing relayed is often the location of the contact, followed by the catalyst for the stop, such as a gang fight in process, a group hanging out in front of market or possible drug activity.
The telecommunicators will enter this information and create a call in the system. Often, officers will request an additional unit(s) upon contact and the telecommunicator will want to get units heading that direction in as timely a manner as possible. At times, the initial contact may be an immediate priority, such as when suspects become confrontational with the officer making contact, requiring an urgent request for cover officers to respond, or suspects run away on contact, requiring the telecommunicator to help coordinate the set up of a perimeter and where responding units need to set up in an effort to contain the suspects.
Once the officers advise they have the contact under control, they will conduct inquiries via the telecommunicator to identify and investigate the incident and subjects. The telecommunicator will input and access information in the automated system at their disposal, including teletype networks and computerized data systems regarding firearms checks, wanted persons, stolen property, vehicle registration, stolen vehicles, etc. Officers may request such information as Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) or California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) checks. The telecommunicator will access and enter sensitive date in local/state/national databases as necessary to accomplish the goals of the specific gang operation.
The California Department of Justice and other states maintain information about the known criminal history of everyone arrested in their state. That information is commonly referred to as a "rap sheet." Data collected from fingerpring cards and arrest reports must be entered into the system, along with the case disposition. If officers are preparing to execute a search warrant at the residence of a gang member, for example, information relating to their past criminal activity is important to enable an informed decision as to how entry should be made.
The California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System provides all California law enforcement agencies with information from federal and state computerized information files. Other states have similar versions of this system, often named for their home state. The system provides fast and highly reliable point-to-point messages between law enforcement agencies about active warrants, wanted people, missing people, etc.
TRACKING OFFICER LOCATIONS & WHERE GANGS CONGREGATE
All information received from the officers in the field or the telephone callers is entered into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. The CAD system verifies the name, address and phone number of the caller and displays the nearest cross streets to the caller's address, as well as pertinent emergency services information. The system's advanced computer mapping system can pinpoint the caller's location to aid in directing units to the scene.
Another benefit to CAD systems is their ability to use crime mapping or geographic information systems (GIS), also know as geospatial information systems. These systems capture, store, analyze, edit, integrate, share, manage and display geographically referenced data that police officers working gang operations can take advantage of in the field. In a more generic sense, GIS is a tool that allows users to create maps and present the results of all the operations. The systems also help enhance a police officer's time on the streets by identifying hot spots of gang activity before gang operations are conducted and arming officers with information relating to locations where gangs have been most active, the days of the week and times of the day gang crimes have been reported. This provides insight about the gangs involved.
An officer or telecommunicator with access to GIS software and additional data-sets, such as parolee and probationer data, can run queries from a laptop in the patrol car and check how many parolees or probationers were recently released on their beat, the conditions of their release and if they have violated any of these conditions.
In addition to plotting the geographical attributes of gang crime, law enforcement agencies seek answers to why specific gang crimes occur in a certain area and evaluate long-term solutions to the problem associated with the particular location. This technology can be used for gang investigations, resource management, asset management and community impact assessment, which are important for managers who must justify and fund anti-gang efforts.
COLLATERAL DUTIES
In many agencies, especially smaller police agencies, telecommunicators have collateral duties that take time away from their computer terminals. Some telecommunicators act as a matron/jailer and may be asked to assist with searches. For example, if a male officer believes a female offender has contraband she put in her pants on contact, a female matron may be a more appropriate choice to recover the contraband, and this may limit exposure to allegations of inappropriate contact.
CONCLUSION
It takes a special kind of person to be a telecommunicator. The essence of the job is being the lifeline to the people who are actually in harm's way. It is not less vital than risking bullets or assaultive gangsters.
Never forget that a telecommunicator protects and serves as much as the officers on the street and without a good telecommunicator on the other end of the radio, police officers would have a much more difficult and dangerous job.
Written by Matthew O'Deane, PhD, investigator for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
When gang cops hit the street and begin the daunting task of addressing gangs and the crimes they commit, they typically have peace of mind in the fact that they have communications personnel standing by to assist. I have worked hundreds of operations against gangs and as I reflect on the individual operations, they were successful in large part due to the efforts of a telecommunicator assigned to the operation.
When working such operations as gang sweeps, saturation patrols, warrant compliance operations or daily street-level suppression, police officers need to have a skilled telecommunicator monitoring the operation frequency to make sure officers have the critical information they need in a timely manner.
During gang operations, the activity officers engage in is typically generated one of two ways, either via a radio call for service or a self-initiated contact.
RADIO CALLS
During gang operations, telecommunicators often receive calls from individuals who need assistance or want to report suspicious or criminal activity they believe is being conducted by gang members or suspected gang members. The telecommunicator will determine the type of assistance needed by carefully listening to the caller. The questions a telecommunicator may ask will help them find out the type of issue, its severity and the location of the problem.
Taking these calls requires a considerable degree of initiative and independent judgment to respond to emotional, disturbed and sometimes abusive people in a variety of situations. Once information is obtained from the caller, the telecommunicator activates the necessary services. A good telecommunicator is critical in gang cases; the information they skillfully extract from callers may make the difference of life or death, or the difference of the suspect being apprehended or getting away.
Telecommunicators attempt to determine the location and nature of the call, the who, what, when and where questions ascertaining the gangs involved, monikers if known, descriptions of people and vehicles and so on. Once the information is received, the telecommunicator will determine which units are available for dispatch and send the appropriate number of units in response to the call for assistance.
Once units are dispatched, the work of the telecommunicator is not over. They must maintain contact with all units working that assignment, and maintain and update the status and location of all police units working the operation. Once officers arrive on scene, additional work is required of telecommunicators. Police officers will need the telecommunicator to enter, update and retrieve information from a variety of computer systems. Exampe: A police officer may arrive on scene and see the suspects in a vehicle, which may trigger a request for registration or driving records and warrant checks.
The telecommunicator must monitor public safety radio frequencies and operate a variety of communications equipment, including radio consoles, telephones and computer systems while assisting officers in the field. During these calls, the telecommunicator must monitor radio traffic before, during and after these contacts and investigations, and record their disposition. Many of these calls may result in an arrest, for example, which will require the arresting unit to be out of service for the duration required to process the prisoner(s). The telecommunicator may need to assign units case numbers; dispatch tow trucks, prisoner vans or evidence-collection units; or call out detectives. Telecommunicators maintain files of information relating to personnel rosters and emergency call-out lists to make the proper notifications and get the proper resources to the scene in a timely manner.
SELF-INITIATED CALLS
When gang officers make contact with gang members, the telecommunicator will often process information for the police officers. When an officer initiates contact with a gang member or group, the first thing relayed is often the location of the contact, followed by the catalyst for the stop, such as a gang fight in process, a group hanging out in front of market or possible drug activity.
The telecommunicators will enter this information and create a call in the system. Often, officers will request an additional unit(s) upon contact and the telecommunicator will want to get units heading that direction in as timely a manner as possible. At times, the initial contact may be an immediate priority, such as when suspects become confrontational with the officer making contact, requiring an urgent request for cover officers to respond, or suspects run away on contact, requiring the telecommunicator to help coordinate the set up of a perimeter and where responding units need to set up in an effort to contain the suspects.
Once the officers advise they have the contact under control, they will conduct inquiries via the telecommunicator to identify and investigate the incident and subjects. The telecommunicator will input and access information in the automated system at their disposal, including teletype networks and computerized data systems regarding firearms checks, wanted persons, stolen property, vehicle registration, stolen vehicles, etc. Officers may request such information as Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) or California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) checks. The telecommunicator will access and enter sensitive date in local/state/national databases as necessary to accomplish the goals of the specific gang operation.
The California Department of Justice and other states maintain information about the known criminal history of everyone arrested in their state. That information is commonly referred to as a "rap sheet." Data collected from fingerpring cards and arrest reports must be entered into the system, along with the case disposition. If officers are preparing to execute a search warrant at the residence of a gang member, for example, information relating to their past criminal activity is important to enable an informed decision as to how entry should be made.
The California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System provides all California law enforcement agencies with information from federal and state computerized information files. Other states have similar versions of this system, often named for their home state. The system provides fast and highly reliable point-to-point messages between law enforcement agencies about active warrants, wanted people, missing people, etc.
TRACKING OFFICER LOCATIONS & WHERE GANGS CONGREGATE
All information received from the officers in the field or the telephone callers is entered into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. The CAD system verifies the name, address and phone number of the caller and displays the nearest cross streets to the caller's address, as well as pertinent emergency services information. The system's advanced computer mapping system can pinpoint the caller's location to aid in directing units to the scene.
Another benefit to CAD systems is their ability to use crime mapping or geographic information systems (GIS), also know as geospatial information systems. These systems capture, store, analyze, edit, integrate, share, manage and display geographically referenced data that police officers working gang operations can take advantage of in the field. In a more generic sense, GIS is a tool that allows users to create maps and present the results of all the operations. The systems also help enhance a police officer's time on the streets by identifying hot spots of gang activity before gang operations are conducted and arming officers with information relating to locations where gangs have been most active, the days of the week and times of the day gang crimes have been reported. This provides insight about the gangs involved.
An officer or telecommunicator with access to GIS software and additional data-sets, such as parolee and probationer data, can run queries from a laptop in the patrol car and check how many parolees or probationers were recently released on their beat, the conditions of their release and if they have violated any of these conditions.
In addition to plotting the geographical attributes of gang crime, law enforcement agencies seek answers to why specific gang crimes occur in a certain area and evaluate long-term solutions to the problem associated with the particular location. This technology can be used for gang investigations, resource management, asset management and community impact assessment, which are important for managers who must justify and fund anti-gang efforts.
COLLATERAL DUTIES
In many agencies, especially smaller police agencies, telecommunicators have collateral duties that take time away from their computer terminals. Some telecommunicators act as a matron/jailer and may be asked to assist with searches. For example, if a male officer believes a female offender has contraband she put in her pants on contact, a female matron may be a more appropriate choice to recover the contraband, and this may limit exposure to allegations of inappropriate contact.
CONCLUSION
It takes a special kind of person to be a telecommunicator. The essence of the job is being the lifeline to the people who are actually in harm's way. It is not less vital than risking bullets or assaultive gangsters.
Never forget that a telecommunicator protects and serves as much as the officers on the street and without a good telecommunicator on the other end of the radio, police officers would have a much more difficult and dangerous job.
The Joy of Management: Motivation by Example
Taken from Public Safety Communications Magazine, December 2011
Written by Patricia R. Mooney, communications manager of Lucas County (Ohio) EMS and an Ohio APCO member. She has more than 30 years of management experience in both the private-business and public safety sectors.
Comm center management has evolved over the years that I have been a manager. During my college years, I worked as a manager in a retail sales establishment, which taught me a lot about communicating with people. Likewise, many of my college classes revolved around management, humans resources and personnel productivity. I still enjoy taking these types of classes, which might explain why I'm writing this article. From my perspective, comm center managers need to enjoy supervising, leading and working alongside their dispatchers.
THEN
When I began my public safety career in 1988, I saw many negative people management principles being used. Initially, many of the dispatchers were people who were in trouble, on medical placement or had low seniority, which explained why they were working in a comm center. I saw no motivation being given to these personnel to better themselves, the comm center or promote good morale.
When I sat with one of these dispatchers, I was informed that they prioritized calls according to various specifications. For example, if the incident involved a weapon it would be a priority 2, unless there was an injury which would raise it to a priority 1 call. Crimes that were reported as happening right now -- or in progress -- were also given priority 2.
While I was sitting with the dispatcher, we receive a call about a dog barking. In reviewing the priority listing, I felt the call would be prioritized as a "noise" complaint -- priority 4. However, the dispatcher said it would be a priority 2, because the dog was barking right now.
I learned by the end of my visit that this telecommunicator coded everything priority 2, making the priority 2 queue almost unmanageable. No manager talked to this dispatcher; he was only temporarily assigned to the comm center, so why make waves?
NOW
Over the years, comm centers have evolved from using temporarily assigned personnel to using career telecommunicators. People actually apply for these positions because they want to work in a comm center. What a novel idea, having someone who truly wants to be there work in that position.
There are college-level classes in comm center dispatching, specialized training for dispatchers (e.g. EMD, EFD, EPD), and even public safety management courses. Yes, we have come a long way, but, we also still have a long way to go.
Our personnel have evolved out of the dark ages, but has our comm center management evolved? Do you or any other managers/supervisors feel that your personnel get a good paycheck for doing their job, so money is their prime motivator for showing up to work? Don't get trapped into believing that the only motivator for working is money. Yes, we all need a good salary, but we also need to be treated in a way that makes us feel like we belong to a team that positively affects others lives. So what can management do to promote positivism?
EMPOWER YOUR PERSONNEL
Each team member must be given all the tools needed to handle their responsibilities and understand how their position fits in the big picture of public safety. Initial training should include how they answer the phone, how they enter a call and how they talk on the radio, and explain the why behind the actions. Giving trainees the big picture will help them understand the reasoning behind why they are expected to do things a specific way.
Be certain to have a policy and procedure handbook that covers day-to-day situations. This establishes the foundation of the comm center responsibilities. However, don't try to write a policy for each situation; it's better to empower your team members to handle incidents that are outside "normal" daily incidents.
Historically, managers have been afraid to empower their employees. They'd rather be paged whenever something beyond standard operating procedure (SOP) occurs. However, telecommunicators who have been empowered to handle situations not covered by an established SOP and then notify the manager typically have a personal investment in the position. This leads to the development of a more cohesive team.
DON'T TREAT YOUR TELECOMMUNICATORS LIKE MUSHROOMS
In other words, don't keep them in the dark and fertilize them with manure. Often, morale problems can begin with rumors of things to come, especially when the perception is that management keeps secrets from team members. I know at times management can't give out all the information to their employees, but being truthful during those times will be accepted positively by the employee. Just say, "At this time, I can't give out the details, but when I can, I will."
If you then follow through, your employees will trust that you'll not keep them in the dark and you'll gain their confidence.
SUPPORT YOUR PERSONNEL
Don't show your face on the comm center floor just when something is wrong, or everyone will cringe every time you step out of your office. One of the hardest things for managers to do is to adopt MBWA -- the management by walking around style.
You should get out on your comm center floor and listen to your telecommunicators' comments, suggestions and, yes, their complaints. They are the people who handle the job day in and day out, and they'll have some good suggestions, if you just listen. If you take some action on their comments, you'll show your support for them.
Other ways to show support are to discuss with them ongoing training programs, hold regular comm center meetings, maintain a positive attitude and, at the very least, say hello and be polite when walking by an employee. Think about it: You say hi to total strangers you pass in a hallway. Why wouldn't you do the same for the people you trust to make your comm center run smoothly?
MAKE YOUR COMM CENTER COMFORTABLE
Making your telecommunicators' environment comfortable will help keep morale high among team members. Such factors as lighting, temperature, visual and audio distractions, and especially the chair and console can have a large impact on your telecommunicators' ability to efficiently handle their duties.
In the past, many managers felt that taking suggestions from the team in regard to ergonomics would not be cost effective; telecommunicators would surely choose the most expensive items. A dispatch chair meant to be used 24/7 might be slightly more expensive than a normal office chair, but we need to look at the bigger picture: cost compared to time in service, warranty offered, telecommunicator comfort and acceptance. The chair you choose can have a great effect on your overall comm center's effectiveness, making a few extra dollars spent a very good investment.
HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Set the bar. If you set the bar on the side of high expectations, then your dispatchers will meet it. Expect your telecommunicators to handle situations appropriately, and they will. Don't set them up to fail by expecting them to fail.
Managers must also lead by example and show their good morale, positive attitude, ability to work as part of the team and professionalism. When you show telecommunicators what's expected of them, they'll work to reach the bar.
If the manager is constantly negative, doesn't back the telecommunicators in their decisions or doesn't fight for things that will help the dispatchers do their jobs, then you will have created a non-functioning, disgruntled, unenthusiastic team.
A manager who consistently shows they care about their telecommunicators and is willing to go to bat for them will help build a cohesive, happy and motivated team.
USE THE POWER OF SURPRISE IN YOUR FAVOR
Think of what treats your dispatchers would enjoy. We all know that bagels, donuts, cookies, candy, pizza and cakes can create a positive surprise for your team. But what kind of treats could you occasionally supply that wouldn't also make their weight move up on the scales? Possibly, 100-calorie packs of snacks, cookies, etc. to help keep the serving portion in mind would be a good surprise. Non-food items such as stress balls, coffee mugs, key chains or greeting cards can also help keep morale elevated.
Do you allow telecommunicators to eat at their desk, drink coffee at their workstation or even have a candy bar while at work? Some comm centers are very strict on their rules about food while others are more lenient. When considering this aspect of operations, remember that people who eat together can feel more like family, which will create a tighter knit team. If you have strict rules against eating in the comm center, maybe you should look at allowing an occasional potluck and see how things go. Surprise the troops.
Another idea: Schedule a holiday gathering at a local restaurant to allow team members and managers to meet in a more social atmosphere where you're all equal. The telecommunicators may take this idea and surprise you by turning it into a quarterly or monthly social gathering, which will also help keep morale positive.
LEADING
So what's the difference between comm center management then and now? The comm center is not longer "that place" where people are assigned as punishment or light duty. Public safety communications has become a career of choice and has become a profession, not just a job. Managers need to enjoy supervising this unique action-oriented group of individuals. Telecommunicators today are proud of the job they do, and they want to continue learning, be given clear directions, goals and policies, and be trusted to handle their responsibilities consistently.
The manager then was more worried about getting the job done and less worried about how telecommunicators fit into the equation. Often, they said such things as, "If you don't like the way I run the place, there's the door," "Because I said so," and "You get paid to do this job, don't you?"
The manager now is not only the leader of the team, but should be part of the team, a leader who worries not only about getting the job done, but empowering and supporting each team member. Comments from today's managers should include, "What do you think of this draft procedure?," "We're changing our policy because..." and "How's your family doing?"
Managers are somewhat like parents. They have to set the guidelines and boundaries, deal with those who do not follow the rules, and try to keep them on the right path of life. But is that all moms and dads do? No, they also talk with their kids, ask them how their day is going, laugh with them, sometimes cry with them and, hopefully, have fun with them; they truly care about them.
Telecommunicators do a stressful, important job in today's society, and no one says they can't enjoy doing it. And some of that enjoyment starts at the top and runs downhill. Managers, don't just let the bad stuff run downhill. Show your team that good things can also come from management.
Start today by going out to your communications center. Spend some quality time, say hi to everyone, ask how their day is going and really listen when they respond. You might surprise yourself, and find out that you enjoy managing people today even more than you did yesterday.
Written by Patricia R. Mooney, communications manager of Lucas County (Ohio) EMS and an Ohio APCO member. She has more than 30 years of management experience in both the private-business and public safety sectors.
Comm center management has evolved over the years that I have been a manager. During my college years, I worked as a manager in a retail sales establishment, which taught me a lot about communicating with people. Likewise, many of my college classes revolved around management, humans resources and personnel productivity. I still enjoy taking these types of classes, which might explain why I'm writing this article. From my perspective, comm center managers need to enjoy supervising, leading and working alongside their dispatchers.
THEN
When I began my public safety career in 1988, I saw many negative people management principles being used. Initially, many of the dispatchers were people who were in trouble, on medical placement or had low seniority, which explained why they were working in a comm center. I saw no motivation being given to these personnel to better themselves, the comm center or promote good morale.
When I sat with one of these dispatchers, I was informed that they prioritized calls according to various specifications. For example, if the incident involved a weapon it would be a priority 2, unless there was an injury which would raise it to a priority 1 call. Crimes that were reported as happening right now -- or in progress -- were also given priority 2.
While I was sitting with the dispatcher, we receive a call about a dog barking. In reviewing the priority listing, I felt the call would be prioritized as a "noise" complaint -- priority 4. However, the dispatcher said it would be a priority 2, because the dog was barking right now.
I learned by the end of my visit that this telecommunicator coded everything priority 2, making the priority 2 queue almost unmanageable. No manager talked to this dispatcher; he was only temporarily assigned to the comm center, so why make waves?
NOW
Over the years, comm centers have evolved from using temporarily assigned personnel to using career telecommunicators. People actually apply for these positions because they want to work in a comm center. What a novel idea, having someone who truly wants to be there work in that position.
There are college-level classes in comm center dispatching, specialized training for dispatchers (e.g. EMD, EFD, EPD), and even public safety management courses. Yes, we have come a long way, but, we also still have a long way to go.
Our personnel have evolved out of the dark ages, but has our comm center management evolved? Do you or any other managers/supervisors feel that your personnel get a good paycheck for doing their job, so money is their prime motivator for showing up to work? Don't get trapped into believing that the only motivator for working is money. Yes, we all need a good salary, but we also need to be treated in a way that makes us feel like we belong to a team that positively affects others lives. So what can management do to promote positivism?
EMPOWER YOUR PERSONNEL
Each team member must be given all the tools needed to handle their responsibilities and understand how their position fits in the big picture of public safety. Initial training should include how they answer the phone, how they enter a call and how they talk on the radio, and explain the why behind the actions. Giving trainees the big picture will help them understand the reasoning behind why they are expected to do things a specific way.
Be certain to have a policy and procedure handbook that covers day-to-day situations. This establishes the foundation of the comm center responsibilities. However, don't try to write a policy for each situation; it's better to empower your team members to handle incidents that are outside "normal" daily incidents.
Historically, managers have been afraid to empower their employees. They'd rather be paged whenever something beyond standard operating procedure (SOP) occurs. However, telecommunicators who have been empowered to handle situations not covered by an established SOP and then notify the manager typically have a personal investment in the position. This leads to the development of a more cohesive team.
DON'T TREAT YOUR TELECOMMUNICATORS LIKE MUSHROOMS
In other words, don't keep them in the dark and fertilize them with manure. Often, morale problems can begin with rumors of things to come, especially when the perception is that management keeps secrets from team members. I know at times management can't give out all the information to their employees, but being truthful during those times will be accepted positively by the employee. Just say, "At this time, I can't give out the details, but when I can, I will."
If you then follow through, your employees will trust that you'll not keep them in the dark and you'll gain their confidence.
SUPPORT YOUR PERSONNEL
Don't show your face on the comm center floor just when something is wrong, or everyone will cringe every time you step out of your office. One of the hardest things for managers to do is to adopt MBWA -- the management by walking around style.
You should get out on your comm center floor and listen to your telecommunicators' comments, suggestions and, yes, their complaints. They are the people who handle the job day in and day out, and they'll have some good suggestions, if you just listen. If you take some action on their comments, you'll show your support for them.
Other ways to show support are to discuss with them ongoing training programs, hold regular comm center meetings, maintain a positive attitude and, at the very least, say hello and be polite when walking by an employee. Think about it: You say hi to total strangers you pass in a hallway. Why wouldn't you do the same for the people you trust to make your comm center run smoothly?
MAKE YOUR COMM CENTER COMFORTABLE
Making your telecommunicators' environment comfortable will help keep morale high among team members. Such factors as lighting, temperature, visual and audio distractions, and especially the chair and console can have a large impact on your telecommunicators' ability to efficiently handle their duties.
In the past, many managers felt that taking suggestions from the team in regard to ergonomics would not be cost effective; telecommunicators would surely choose the most expensive items. A dispatch chair meant to be used 24/7 might be slightly more expensive than a normal office chair, but we need to look at the bigger picture: cost compared to time in service, warranty offered, telecommunicator comfort and acceptance. The chair you choose can have a great effect on your overall comm center's effectiveness, making a few extra dollars spent a very good investment.
HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Set the bar. If you set the bar on the side of high expectations, then your dispatchers will meet it. Expect your telecommunicators to handle situations appropriately, and they will. Don't set them up to fail by expecting them to fail.
Managers must also lead by example and show their good morale, positive attitude, ability to work as part of the team and professionalism. When you show telecommunicators what's expected of them, they'll work to reach the bar.
If the manager is constantly negative, doesn't back the telecommunicators in their decisions or doesn't fight for things that will help the dispatchers do their jobs, then you will have created a non-functioning, disgruntled, unenthusiastic team.
A manager who consistently shows they care about their telecommunicators and is willing to go to bat for them will help build a cohesive, happy and motivated team.
USE THE POWER OF SURPRISE IN YOUR FAVOR
Think of what treats your dispatchers would enjoy. We all know that bagels, donuts, cookies, candy, pizza and cakes can create a positive surprise for your team. But what kind of treats could you occasionally supply that wouldn't also make their weight move up on the scales? Possibly, 100-calorie packs of snacks, cookies, etc. to help keep the serving portion in mind would be a good surprise. Non-food items such as stress balls, coffee mugs, key chains or greeting cards can also help keep morale elevated.
Do you allow telecommunicators to eat at their desk, drink coffee at their workstation or even have a candy bar while at work? Some comm centers are very strict on their rules about food while others are more lenient. When considering this aspect of operations, remember that people who eat together can feel more like family, which will create a tighter knit team. If you have strict rules against eating in the comm center, maybe you should look at allowing an occasional potluck and see how things go. Surprise the troops.
Another idea: Schedule a holiday gathering at a local restaurant to allow team members and managers to meet in a more social atmosphere where you're all equal. The telecommunicators may take this idea and surprise you by turning it into a quarterly or monthly social gathering, which will also help keep morale positive.
LEADING
So what's the difference between comm center management then and now? The comm center is not longer "that place" where people are assigned as punishment or light duty. Public safety communications has become a career of choice and has become a profession, not just a job. Managers need to enjoy supervising this unique action-oriented group of individuals. Telecommunicators today are proud of the job they do, and they want to continue learning, be given clear directions, goals and policies, and be trusted to handle their responsibilities consistently.
The manager then was more worried about getting the job done and less worried about how telecommunicators fit into the equation. Often, they said such things as, "If you don't like the way I run the place, there's the door," "Because I said so," and "You get paid to do this job, don't you?"
The manager now is not only the leader of the team, but should be part of the team, a leader who worries not only about getting the job done, but empowering and supporting each team member. Comments from today's managers should include, "What do you think of this draft procedure?," "We're changing our policy because..." and "How's your family doing?"
Managers are somewhat like parents. They have to set the guidelines and boundaries, deal with those who do not follow the rules, and try to keep them on the right path of life. But is that all moms and dads do? No, they also talk with their kids, ask them how their day is going, laugh with them, sometimes cry with them and, hopefully, have fun with them; they truly care about them.
Telecommunicators do a stressful, important job in today's society, and no one says they can't enjoy doing it. And some of that enjoyment starts at the top and runs downhill. Managers, don't just let the bad stuff run downhill. Show your team that good things can also come from management.
Start today by going out to your communications center. Spend some quality time, say hi to everyone, ask how their day is going and really listen when they respond. You might surprise yourself, and find out that you enjoy managing people today even more than you did yesterday.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Comm Center Career Path: APCO Standards & Training Can Help You Forge Your Way
Taken from Public Safety Communications Magazine, December 2011
Written by Frank J. Kiernan III, member of APCO and director of emergency communications for the city of Meriden, Conn.
So, you've been hired as a dispatcher, a career that in some cases requires testing and training similar to that of other first responders. Now that you're here where do you go? Sadly, in most cases you are where you're going to be, looking forward to top pay and vacation pick seniority.
When I was first hired as a civilian dispatcher, our turnover was due to telecommunicators leaving to become police or fire personnel, moving to a career with established career paths. I myself spent two years as a civilian dispatcher before testing and being hired as a police officer.
During my career as a sworn police officer, I continually found myself being assigned to communications. The town had decided that civilian dispatchers were not working out and placed police officers in the dispatch center.
Many times, I heard, "Don't go in there. It's a dead end." or "It's a career killer." To understand where these opinions come from we have to look at the position itself: civilian dispatcher. Just the sound of it has a negative connotation. How many times have we ourselves said to the public or others, "I'm just a dispatcher?"
PROFESSIONALISM
APCO and others have been working hard to rid the industry of this stereotype. We are not just a dispatcher of a civilian dispatcher. We are public safely telecommunicators.
We have established an ANSI National Standard, Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators, APCO ANS 3.103.1-2010. Having a national standard and meeting its requirements raises the professionalism of the public safety telecommunicator.
In the center where I currently work, one of the first changes I wanted to make was to establish a supervisor position for each shift. This required negotiation with the union, as well as establishing a promotional process. Since past practice had been that the senior dispatcher on the shift received crew leader status, this was necessary. Some of the senior people did not want the responsibility -- and with good reason: They received no special training. They got the position only by virtue of the fact that they had been here the longest.
Once the positions were agreed to and budgeted for, the time came to fill the spots. I wanted to provide the interested candidates with information to use during the oral interview, part of the process established to narrow the list of candidates. Our department provided each with a copy of current city policies and a copy of APCO's Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications First-Level Supervisor. The training standard for supervisor has helped establish the job description and provided a baseline for us to work from. It has established a clear career advancement path.
The standard establishes requirements, as well as duties and responsibilities, for a supervisor. According to the standard, "the supervisor shall have effective interpersonal communication skills and leadership qualities in addition to having a thorough working knowledge of the agency's policies, practices, operational activities, and telecommunicator skill sets...
"The supervisor shall demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of agency resources and capabilities, including location of public safety/service buildings, apparatus and equipment, emergency-management services, and facilities and emergency-planning documents...The supervisor shall be aware of and understand the opportunity of all employees to participate in such programs as listed below, demonstrating the ability to inform subordinates of these services and make referrals, as necessary [to]: 1) Employee Assistance Program (EAP); 2) Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)/Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD); 3) health and wellness programs; [and] 4) stress-management techniques.
"The supervisor shall fully understand the safety requirements of the position as required by the agency, appropriate state regulations and, if applicable, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
"The supervisor shall fully understand the impact of the ADA-specific requirements of PSAPs for equal access, as well as internal hiring and accomodation practices."
The agency has the responsibility of providing training to the supervisor so they can reach these basic supervisory competencies and agency-specific requirements, along with training in interpersonal communication skills and leadership.
DIRECT YOUR OWN CAREER
To all of those who still say dispatch is a dead end or career killer, I say, "Not anymore."
I went from civilian dispatcher to police officer to communications training officer, and now I am director of emergency communications. I made my career path, and, now with the help of APCO International, you can direct your own.
Written by Frank J. Kiernan III, member of APCO and director of emergency communications for the city of Meriden, Conn.
So, you've been hired as a dispatcher, a career that in some cases requires testing and training similar to that of other first responders. Now that you're here where do you go? Sadly, in most cases you are where you're going to be, looking forward to top pay and vacation pick seniority.
When I was first hired as a civilian dispatcher, our turnover was due to telecommunicators leaving to become police or fire personnel, moving to a career with established career paths. I myself spent two years as a civilian dispatcher before testing and being hired as a police officer.
During my career as a sworn police officer, I continually found myself being assigned to communications. The town had decided that civilian dispatchers were not working out and placed police officers in the dispatch center.
Many times, I heard, "Don't go in there. It's a dead end." or "It's a career killer." To understand where these opinions come from we have to look at the position itself: civilian dispatcher. Just the sound of it has a negative connotation. How many times have we ourselves said to the public or others, "I'm just a dispatcher?"
PROFESSIONALISM
APCO and others have been working hard to rid the industry of this stereotype. We are not just a dispatcher of a civilian dispatcher. We are public safely telecommunicators.
We have established an ANSI National Standard, Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators, APCO ANS 3.103.1-2010. Having a national standard and meeting its requirements raises the professionalism of the public safety telecommunicator.
In the center where I currently work, one of the first changes I wanted to make was to establish a supervisor position for each shift. This required negotiation with the union, as well as establishing a promotional process. Since past practice had been that the senior dispatcher on the shift received crew leader status, this was necessary. Some of the senior people did not want the responsibility -- and with good reason: They received no special training. They got the position only by virtue of the fact that they had been here the longest.
Once the positions were agreed to and budgeted for, the time came to fill the spots. I wanted to provide the interested candidates with information to use during the oral interview, part of the process established to narrow the list of candidates. Our department provided each with a copy of current city policies and a copy of APCO's Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications First-Level Supervisor. The training standard for supervisor has helped establish the job description and provided a baseline for us to work from. It has established a clear career advancement path.
The standard establishes requirements, as well as duties and responsibilities, for a supervisor. According to the standard, "the supervisor shall have effective interpersonal communication skills and leadership qualities in addition to having a thorough working knowledge of the agency's policies, practices, operational activities, and telecommunicator skill sets...
"The supervisor shall demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of agency resources and capabilities, including location of public safety/service buildings, apparatus and equipment, emergency-management services, and facilities and emergency-planning documents...The supervisor shall be aware of and understand the opportunity of all employees to participate in such programs as listed below, demonstrating the ability to inform subordinates of these services and make referrals, as necessary [to]: 1) Employee Assistance Program (EAP); 2) Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)/Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD); 3) health and wellness programs; [and] 4) stress-management techniques.
"The supervisor shall fully understand the safety requirements of the position as required by the agency, appropriate state regulations and, if applicable, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
"The supervisor shall fully understand the impact of the ADA-specific requirements of PSAPs for equal access, as well as internal hiring and accomodation practices."
The agency has the responsibility of providing training to the supervisor so they can reach these basic supervisory competencies and agency-specific requirements, along with training in interpersonal communication skills and leadership.
DIRECT YOUR OWN CAREER
To all of those who still say dispatch is a dead end or career killer, I say, "Not anymore."
I went from civilian dispatcher to police officer to communications training officer, and now I am director of emergency communications. I made my career path, and, now with the help of APCO International, you can direct your own.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Police Dispatching Tips & Tools
Taken from Public Safety Communications E-Mail - Communication Trends & Intelligence - July 14, 2011
Written by Rhonda Harper, RPL, lead telecommunicator, dispatcher and CALEA communications accreditation manager for the Forth Smith (Ark.) Police Department.
A 9-1-1 telecommunicator listens to the radio, calls for a wrecker, runs warrants and dispatches officers on calls for service, all while providing cusotmer service to the multitude of everyday callers. Telecommunicators possess the innate ability to complete several tasks - such as hearing multiple conversations and obtaining additional information for officers - at the same time without missing a beat. But sometimes, callers are less than cooperative or unable to give telecommunicators necessary information. For every call received, emergency or non-emergency, telecommunicators need to use various tools to obtain additional information for responding units.
Mobile Complications
The number of 9-1-1 calls placed by people using wireless phones has radically increased. According to the FCC, about 50% of the millions of 9-1-1 calls received daily are placed by wireless phones, and that percentage continues to grow year on year.
Many users today prefer cell phones over landlines because of their innate portability, causing a majority of the public to completely discard their home phones and only use their cell phone. For many users, having the ability to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency is one of the main reasons they own a cell phone. Additional wireless 9-1-1 calls come from Good Samaritans reporting traffic accidents, crimes or other emergencies in progress.
Wireless phones can be an important public safety tool, but they can pose a problem for 9-1-1 telecommunicators trying to locate callers when the caller is unable to give their location or the call is coming from an uninitialized cell phone.
During public incidents, such as domestic violence, disturbances, accidents, shootings, fires, etc., numerous calls will be recieved on a single event. It's during these calls that the telecommunicator must determine if there is any new information to be obtained or if it's merely someone else calling on the incident that has already been reported. In contrast, there are incidents for which we may have only a single caller. It's in these situations that we, as telecommunicators, begin searching and using our available resources to obtain location information.
A Telecommunicator receives a cell phone call that is an open line and, at first, nothing is heard. Then, just before the line is disconnected, voices can be heard in the background. The telecommunicator quickly realizes the female caller is being taken against her will and the phone is an open line. During a call like this, it's difficult to get a location if ALI information is not working or if the computer systems are down. So the question is, "what do we do?"
The first step is to rely on your training not to listen just to what is being said, but also to what is not being said and, further, what can be heard in the background. In our example, the telecommunicator was able to determine by background noise that the caller was in a moving vehicle. Because of the numerous wireless carriers available to users, this can become a process of elimination. However, there is a tool that can be used to quickly determine which service provider currently holds the number in question: the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC).
NPAC is a law enforcement/9-1-1 personal identification number (PIN) registration website. Via NPAC, law enforcement agencies and 9-1-1 PSAPs can register for access to Neustar IVR, an automated system that allows queries for telephone numbers. PINs are strictly limited to:
Written by Rhonda Harper, RPL, lead telecommunicator, dispatcher and CALEA communications accreditation manager for the Forth Smith (Ark.) Police Department.
A 9-1-1 telecommunicator listens to the radio, calls for a wrecker, runs warrants and dispatches officers on calls for service, all while providing cusotmer service to the multitude of everyday callers. Telecommunicators possess the innate ability to complete several tasks - such as hearing multiple conversations and obtaining additional information for officers - at the same time without missing a beat. But sometimes, callers are less than cooperative or unable to give telecommunicators necessary information. For every call received, emergency or non-emergency, telecommunicators need to use various tools to obtain additional information for responding units.
Mobile Complications
The number of 9-1-1 calls placed by people using wireless phones has radically increased. According to the FCC, about 50% of the millions of 9-1-1 calls received daily are placed by wireless phones, and that percentage continues to grow year on year.
Many users today prefer cell phones over landlines because of their innate portability, causing a majority of the public to completely discard their home phones and only use their cell phone. For many users, having the ability to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency is one of the main reasons they own a cell phone. Additional wireless 9-1-1 calls come from Good Samaritans reporting traffic accidents, crimes or other emergencies in progress.
Wireless phones can be an important public safety tool, but they can pose a problem for 9-1-1 telecommunicators trying to locate callers when the caller is unable to give their location or the call is coming from an uninitialized cell phone.
During public incidents, such as domestic violence, disturbances, accidents, shootings, fires, etc., numerous calls will be recieved on a single event. It's during these calls that the telecommunicator must determine if there is any new information to be obtained or if it's merely someone else calling on the incident that has already been reported. In contrast, there are incidents for which we may have only a single caller. It's in these situations that we, as telecommunicators, begin searching and using our available resources to obtain location information.
A Telecommunicator receives a cell phone call that is an open line and, at first, nothing is heard. Then, just before the line is disconnected, voices can be heard in the background. The telecommunicator quickly realizes the female caller is being taken against her will and the phone is an open line. During a call like this, it's difficult to get a location if ALI information is not working or if the computer systems are down. So the question is, "what do we do?"
The first step is to rely on your training not to listen just to what is being said, but also to what is not being said and, further, what can be heard in the background. In our example, the telecommunicator was able to determine by background noise that the caller was in a moving vehicle. Because of the numerous wireless carriers available to users, this can become a process of elimination. However, there is a tool that can be used to quickly determine which service provider currently holds the number in question: the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC).
NPAC is a law enforcement/9-1-1 personal identification number (PIN) registration website. Via NPAC, law enforcement agencies and 9-1-1 PSAPs can register for access to Neustar IVR, an automated system that allows queries for telephone numbers. PINs are strictly limited to:
- Law enforcement agencies - agencies of the U.S. or of a state or political subdivision thereof that are empowered by law to conduct investigations of, or to make arrests for, violations of federal, state or local laws; and
- PSAPs - entities performing public safety answering point functions in the performance of their official duties.
PINs can be shared by users within an agency. Therefore, each agency only needs one PIN. Once the cell phone provider is known, you can contact that provider for additional information.
Each service provider has different requirements. One provider may want a pass code, and another may need to verify your identity with your agency each time before giving information. It's best for each agency to find out what the providers require and have that information ready when asked. Depending on the variables involved, the cell phone provider may be able to triangulate the cell phone to give a basic direction of travel, if in motion, or a basic area in which to look. The location is often not pinpointed, but combined with information picked up from the open line, this information can assist in saving a life.
Some cell phones have GPS systems that can be tracked through computer software by the phone's owner.
Agencies with caller identification capability can take the number calling in, if it came from a landline, and run it through the system manually using the ANI/ALI system on their 9-1-1 display screens giving address information. Most agencies are now using mapping systems. In the event a call is coming in from a cell phone, then you can retransmit the information for a possible Phase II location. These same mapping systems can also be useful for those callers who just can't give you an address but are able to give directions to the location. Telecommunicators can take the information and directions given and map out the directions to a possible address.
NAWAS & Hams
The National Warning System (NAWAS) is a comprehensive network of telephone circuits connecting state and federal warning points throughout the U.S. Funded by FEMA, NAWAS is a national system, but the day-to-day operation is under the control of individual states. Each state has its own plan for the use of NAWAS during emergencies, such as hazmat situations, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. NAWAS conducts several daily roll calls that must be answered to ensure a PSAP's equipment is working properly.
In times of severe weather, ham radio clubs will occasionally contact their 9-1-1 comm center with weather updates. Their role is to act as a link between the comm center and storm spotters to ensure immediate access to storm warning information. If the phone lines and power were to go out, the ham radio operator would still have access to the radio via their equipment. This can be a great resource during any severe storm. However, when receiving information, remember to always follow your agency's policies and procedures accordingly.
Telematics
Telematics vendors, such as Hughes, ATX, OnStar, Ford Sync and Digicore, can be another useful tool for the 9-1-1 telecommunicator. There are several different vendors, and each functions differently.
OnStar brings together emergency service providers, wireless phone, and satellite technologies that are powered by a vehicle's battery. As long as the battery is not damaged or disconnected, the system can be used to determine the location of a vehicle or listen to what's going on in a vehicle. With certain vehicle models, OnStar can shut down a vehicle completely when police have arrived in the area to take control. This capability can be useful in take-down situations and for stolen vehicles. For OnStar to give information about a vehicle, two items are needed. First, a report has to be taken, and then the telecommunicator must enter the vehicle into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. After these two things have been completed, OnStar can take action and release information to law enforcement personnel.
Unlike OnStar, Ford Sync does not have a call center. Instead, the initial call from that vender is routed directly into the 9-1-1 PSAP.
Online Tools
The Internet is also a valuable source of informtaion for telecommunicators - not only for specific websites, but also to find information that can be used to track down individuals.
These websites include peoplefinder.com, yellowpages.com, publicrecordfinder.com and skipease.com. You may need to pay a nominal fee for information from some of these sites.
In the event of severe weather, the National Weather Service website (www.weather.gov) can provide up-to-the-minute weather reports.
The information obtained from these sites, when combined with other information, can be a rich source of information for responders. Some agencies have access to their city's utility billing information, tax records, marriage licenses and so on. This type of documentation may have alternate phone numbers, addresses and further contact information that can be used to contact people.
Also, let's not forget about social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. With more than 500 million users, Facebook is now possibly the world's largest social network, connecting people with friends and others to allow information sharing. People are now calling 9-1-1 regarding suicidal subjects due to comments made on such sites. On average, 1.3% of all deaths reported are from suicide, with approximately 750,000 suicide attempts reported each year. Social networking website profiles are filled with information about the user, giving additional opportunities for subjects to be found prior to them harming themselves or others.
Databases & Clearinghouses
Many agencies are now using Justice Xchange, a program launched in 2002, with benefits that include locating offenders, monitoring probationers and parolees, tracking down individuals in thousands of criminal justice databases, setting up watches for wanted persons and mapping capabilities for offenders. This is a secure, integrated justice database that manages nearly 40 million booking records, including photos, warrants, probation and parole records, and persons of interest, making it a valuable source of information.
The National Crime Information Center has been called a lifeline for law enforcement. It's an electronic clearinghouse of crime data that can be tapped into by virtually every criminal justice agency nationwide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Criminal justice agencies enter records into NCIC that are accessible to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Telecommunicators can search NCIC at the request of an officer while on a call, traffic stop, or subject stop to determine if the vehicle in question is stolen or the subjects have possible warrants out for them.
The system responds immediately. However, a positive response from NCIC is not probable cause for an officer to take action; the telecommunicator must first confirm the record in question. NCIC policy requires the inquiring agency to make contact with the entering agency to verify the information is accurate and up to date. After the record is confirmed, the inquiring agency can take action to make an arrest, return the missing person or juvenile, charge subjects with violations of a protection order or recover stolen property. The master name form is very useful when you have limited information on a subject. This can assist you in obtaining a possible date of birth so you can run a wanted inquiry or criminal history search.
Most states have a system similar to NCIC that operates within the state and handles state files and records.
CAD
Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems are used to send messages and call details to responding units' MDTs (mobile data terminals) laptops, and for storing and retrieving data, such as calls for service, unit history logs, caller information, etc. CAD systems are also used to maintain the status of responding units in the field. By running a query through the system, you can quickly identify a responding unit's history, caller, location or phone history. Hazard information entered into call records during past incidents can also be recalled for units responding to that location. A CAD system, when used to its fullest potential, can quickly produce results with a few keystrokes.
Training
Education is a telecommunicator's best ally. The APCO International website and magazine provide a wealth of knowledge readily available to all. The monthly continuing dispatch education (CDE) articles, along with the new and innovative courses and the original base courses available, can assist any telecommunicator in their quest for industry knowledge, best practices and understanding of terminology.
The APCO website (www.apcointl.org) contains listings of courses and start dates, as well as information on scholarships available for those courses. Formal education can also enhance your skills as a telecommunicator. Continue your education and seek out new learning opportunities.
It's never too late to learn something new. This is an ever-changing field, and we must grow with the industry, utilizing best practices along the way to keep up with new technology and stay one step ahead.
Policies & Procedures
Telecommunicators, first and foremost, should always follow their individual agency's policies and procedures. This type of documentation is in place to protect yourself and your agency from any risk or liability situation that may arise. When using the various tools available to police dispatchers, always use them while following the policies and procedures set forth by your agency.
Telecommunicators, by nature, take on a vast amount of responsibility while dealing with the public, people who are sometimes having the worst day of their lives. Inattention to detail is not an option for telecommunicators and is regarded as unequivocally unacceptable. There's a golden rule that can always be followed: "If you have things, and if you own things and would then like to keep your things, then always watch out for liability because you may lose those things."
Putting It All Together
Here's an example of how beneficial it can be to have multiple tools available for use. In 2006, an officer responded for a call of a disturbance with weapons. Upon the officer's arrival, the subject was located and arrested. It became clear to the officer on scene that the subject was lying about his identity. With the information given, the telecommunicator kept getting a response of "no record in state file." The officer then took the subject to jail to be booked in the system.
At the jail, the suspect's fingerprints were run through IAFIS (Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System), also resulting in no hits.
The next day, the same officer was dispatched to the same location. The suspect had gotten out of jail and returned to cause more problems, again brandishing a weapon.
After the telecommunicator received the call, she immediately began searching with the limited information she had, running a criminal history using a variation of the name previously given and an alternate date of birth found through JusticeXchange. With the new information, the criminal history returned an alternate name with an alias matching the name given to the officers on the previous day. The telecommunicator found an NCIC warrant showing full extradition for parole violation from another state, which was contacted for a previous booking photo. Officers were sent the photo and were able to immediately identify the suspect, arresting him for the warrant.
Upon the suspect's return to jail, his prints were run again, resulting in a hit on the NCIC warrant. Systems can go down, and that's what had happened when using IAFIS the previous day. By combining the systems available to telecommunicators, a positive ID was located, resulting in the extradition of a wanted subject.
Ultimately, there are numerous tools available to telecommunicators for use on a daily basis, each of which provides different information based on the information you already have. A final resource available to every telecommunicator is each other.
Over the years, dispatching has changed drastically from the use of the first radio system and keeping up with units by pencil and paper to the use of CAD systems today. With all the changes that have occurred over the past few decades, each 9-1-1 center with typically have individuals around with the experience and problem-solving abilities to assist during critical situations that can arise within comm centers. When the power goes out, the backup generator stops working and computers go down, newer telecommunicators can rely on more seasoned telecommunicators who have worked with paper and pen to keep up with units in the past. This is not an individualized industry focusing just on you, the person. It is, instead, a team environment with the whole team working together for the safety of responders and citizens.
In every agency, there's a span of knowledge from the newest dispatcher to the most senior dispatcher with years of built-up experience and knowledge. Be open to each other and willing to learn from each other. 9-1-1 dispatching is a team environment, working together to provide safety to responding units.
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