Don't they give dispatchers tests in your area to see if they are competent enough to do the job? God forbid somebody is playing a flute and some citizen calls the police and you send the po po to see if a crime is being committed.
Yes they do give tests. And they also have policies and procedures that have been developed nationwide. If a citizen calls the police, send the police. FYI...my department policy is if someone calls to want to shake a police officer's hand, we dispatch the officer if one is available.
Sounds like you know the laws pretty well for a dispatcher who isn't trained in them.
What everyone is trying to say is that while that officer is tied up responding to a man eating lunch with a holstered firearm he is not available to respond to the 3 men who are robbing the local bank.
If your smart enough to be able to prioritize calls then your smart enough to know when no response is needed.
I know the law because I study it. I also work for a smaller department and do alot more than just dispatch. I also deal with the courts quite a bit for our department. So I see alot more than other dispatchers do in many other departments.
I understand what everyone is saying. I'm just saying the majority of dispatchers don't know what is or is not a crime. I've done the job for 8 years. Until about 5 years ago, besides underage alcohol (I previously worked campus security for 3 years) I had no clue about many laws. But you expect someone on the end of a phone to determine what a caller means. Why not hold the caller accountable? I actually see many cases of arrests all the way through. You'd be amazed at the number of suspect descriptions that look nothing like the suspect we arrest besides their clothing. Therefore, without seeing what is going on, it's hard to know how accurate the caller is.
I took a call today for a vehicle into the center wall of I-71, pretty hard hit. Checked on the cameras on I-71, nothing showing. Should I disregard or send an officer? Send an officer, cars gone. Should we charge the caller for a false report?
Package on your front porch delivered by UPS when you didn't order anything. What's the crime? Send the police and possible bomb squad? Or totally disregard?
Backpack next to a garbage can at a football game. What's the crime? Send the police or totally disregard? No crime, so disregarding.
Elementary school calls of a MWAG walking into their lobby in a business suit I'll disregard. No crime right? After all, most likely a police officer since he's in a suit so until I prove it's not a police officer, I have to hold off dispatching. Right?
There's alot I'd love to not dispatch. There's alot that I've dispatched and seen it turn out totally different than what I thought it was. Without someone with experience and expertise having their eyes on the reason of the call, we will never know the outcome. And the first time the outcome is wrong and the tapes are played to find out 911 was called, well, that'll be the end of that person's job and the department.
So, if someone is willing to pay my salary the rest of my life and my pension after I could retire, I'll gladly never dispatch a MWAG call or a suspicious package call or a man standing on the road taking pictures of the bank, etc. Whatever you want me to disregard, I'll gladly not dispatch. Just sign the paper accepting full liability for me. I'll have it drafted up tomorrow.