“Behind the Badge” Communications Professionals
By Joseph Pangaro
A few years ago a very popular TV game show burst onto the scene. As a part of the drama a contestant stuck on a particular answer could call a friend for help, this was referred to as “A life line”. What a great concept, a life line, someone to reach out to when you really need it. This would be excellent in real life wouldn’t it? There you are at your favorite restaurant, the bill comes and it’ $100 more than you have. The waiter stands there tapping his toe and smiling as you recount your money for the tenth time. Then it hits you, a life line! You dial a buddy and he runs in the front door with the cash, problem solved. There are a thousand other situations where a life line would be a welcome addition to our every day existence. Unfortunately there are very few real life lines out there. In law enforcement we are very lucky because we do have a real life line: The men and women of our communications division, our dispatchers.
These public service employees are the unsung heroes of the public safety world. They are the connection between the residents of a community and the assistance units they need help from. If someone is breaking into your house and you dial 911 or your local police sttation, a dispatcher answers the call. They take the information from you, which is not always easy. Most times when people call for help they are in various states of distress. The dispatcher has to calm the person down enough to get the pertinent information such as where the incident is taking place and what is needed there. Once they get that info they have to decide on who to send. What officers are available, where are they in relation to the call, is there a specific expertise called for, all the while keeping the caller on the phone and reassuring them. This is not an easy job. I have watched the dispatchers perform their duties under some very trying situations. It is amazing to watch the more veteran communications people as they handle these calls with a calm that would surprise you. They seamlessly connect ambulance calls to fire companies to the county radio room and the same time keep track of the cops on the road and what they need.
There have been times when I have been out at a situation and before my backup has gotten on scene, and the only thing you have is the voice of that dispatcher on the radio to let you know you’re not alone. It can be very reassuring. Some of the people I have worked with over the years have a keen sense of timing and the ability to remember the habits and particulars of how individual officers do their work. They know the difference in the officers tone of voice means he is suspicious and wants more checks to be done on a suspect. Or the way she describes something she is seeing tells the dispatcher to send more help. All this is done without actually having to say those words. It is this kind of dedication to duty and ability that makes the dispatchers a real life line for cops and fire personnel.
Another interesting aspect of a career in dispatching is the way the public deals with them in non emergency situations. Public safety dispatch personnel are at times; counselors, coaches, interrogators, and the last hope for many people with no one else to call. The lonely despondent person that calls for help gets a dispatcher, the woman living with a domestic violence nightmare unsure how to proceed gets a dispatcher, the little child who finds daddy laying on the living room floor and won’t wake up gets a dispatcher. All of these callers go to dispatch first, before ever hearing from or seeing a cop. Properly trained and given the proper respect our dispatchers are a vital link in the public safety chain. We can never overlook their contributions. There are many a dispatchers out there that have saved many lives by talking someone through the steps of CPR, how to do the Heimlich Maneuver, or guiding someone to a hiding spot while awaiting the police. I know that I am grateful to my dispatch people for their care and concern for me, my officers and the residents of my community. Next time you have the opportunity to call and speak to a dispatcher I hope you keep this in mind and thank them for their efforts. They are always at the end of the phone when you need them, 24 hours and day seven days a week.
Let me know what you think. Email me jpangaro194@yahoo.com
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