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