Educating 911 operators..

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Just a thought..

I've been reading through all the states' forums paying particular attention to LEO Encounter threads and any thread having to do with the laws of my own state.. (Ky that is..) and I always read about police responding to that infamous MWAG call..

Is there a way to get the word out to those that operate the 911 phone systems that they need to prompt the panicky callers for more info.. (assuming the call isn't "MWAG and he's shooting up the place!" with shots in the background..)

They need to ask, "MWAG? what's he/she doing? gun holstered? Are they just walking along? shopping/minding their own business? alone? Family or maybe friends with him? If alone: Are they acting suspicious or threatening aside from your perceived threat of the gun?

If it sounds to the operator that it's just a law abiding OCer.. they need to inform the panicky caller "Well Sir or Ma'am.. OC is legal in this state.. call us if they unholster or otherwise threaten someone.." (Or something to that effect. )

That would save LEOs ( and us.. ) alot of headache wouldn't it? Problem is getting them to actually do it..

Thoughts?

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We already do that out here in AZ.

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Kriegsammler wrote:

That would save LEOs ( and us.. ) alot of headache wouldn't it? Problem is getting them to actually do it..

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I think the real problem with getting police departments to implement this is one of liability. They are scared of getting sued more than anything else. If someone reports MWAG and they don't respond then someone will eventually file a frivolous lawsuit which is at best an inconvenience and at worst an opportunity for an anti-gun judicial activist. If somone calls in MWAG and they don't respond and the MWAG actually uses his gun for a criminal action then their liability goes through the roof and the news media will barbecue them. If you weigh their (and our) inconvenience against the potential monetary and public relations damage I would guess they would rather live with the inconvenience.

That is why the re-normalization of open carry among the public at largein this country is so important. There was a time when a MWAG was an everyday occurance. Our society has been brain-washed over the years to think gun = violent or evil intent. Undoing that will take time but thankfully we have made a start through sites like this.

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As a 911 telecommunicator and an active OC'er I see both sides. Dispatch agencies come in many shapes and sizes and they all have different operating procedures. Some are fully handled inside the local police/sherriff office while others are completely independent entities from the services they dispatch. The training that these agencies use is equally varied. There is no BLET style universal training for 911 dispatchers.

Due to the liability issuemost agencies are going to dispatch any MWAG calls. Covering your ass is a big deal in this business. That also goes a long way to making sure the dispatcher asks all the right questions. Officer safety is a constant concern for any dispatcher and calls involving weapons will alwaysprompt specific questions so that any responding officers have as much info as possible.

Asking the right questions and getting the right answers will still vary simply due to the not-so-standard training of different agencies. On the job training at my center usually lasts about 6-8 months. At the center in the next town over it is only a month or two IIRC.

We, as OC'ers, have no way in controlling what a caller may tell 911 about us. We alsohave no way of controlling what a dispatcher tells the reponding officer about us. The only thing we can control is how we handle those LEO interactions.I believe that the recent media blitz about OC has educated quite a few people, 911 dispatchers included, about what is legal in their jurisdictions.It's still an imperfect system, but not nearly as bad as it was a few yearsago.

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JT wrote:

Kriegsammler wrote:

That would save LEOs ( and us.. ) alot of headache wouldn't it? Problem is getting them to actually do it..

Click to expand...

I think the real problem with getting police departments to implement this is one of liability. They are scared of getting sued more than anything else. If someone reports MWAG and they don't respond then someone will eventually file a frivolous lawsuit which is at best an inconvenience and at worst an opportunity for an anti-gun judicial activist. If somone calls in MWAG and they don't respond and the MWAG actually uses his gun for a criminal action then their liability goes through the roof and the news media will barbecue them. If you weigh their (and our) inconvenience against the potential monetary and public relations damage I would guess they would rather live with the inconvenience.

That is why the re-normalization of open carry among the public at largein this country is so important. There was a time when a MWAG was an everyday occurance. Our society has been brain-washed over the years to think gun = violent or evil intent. Undoing that will take time but thankfully we have made a start through sites like this.

Click to expand...

I don't mind the 911 caller. He was just uneducated. Our movement has a major component of educating the public.

I don't mind the 911 operator. He was just doing his job.

I don't mind the officer. He was doing his job, not having been trained in how to lawfully handle a PWAG.

For the two hours of my life yesterday that I won't be getting back, I blame the lack of policy and training in the MPD on OC. I am working to correct that in a non-judgmental way.

If the LEOs are trained to properly handle a PWAG call on a lawful OCer, its 30 seconds or a minute out of the OCers life.