Officer Safety: Whose responsibility?
Age-old question. Officers are responsible to their partners & brethren in the field, dispatchers are responsible to officers, OEMC and CPD are responsible for ensuring open lines of communication, and CPD is responsible to its sworn employees in that [safety] equipment should be up to par.
But when there's a lapse, whose fault is it? We pose this question because within the last two days, there was a breakdown.
Gang unit asks for an assist at "Street X." Dispatcher asks "Street X and what?" to get a cross street/location to get help going to. Gang unit repeats "Street X." Dispatcher asks again, and other units in the field say that the unit may be at Location A. Dispatcher gets units going to Location A. Watch Commander comes over the air and annoyedly states "SQUAD, they're detailed to Location B." Dispatcher states that she was never made aware, and gets units going to Location B. After all is said and done (and thankfully no officers are injured), gang unit sarcastically "thanks" the dispatcher for "all your help," clearly indicating the opinion that the fault lies with the dispatcher.
We regularly have officers on our zones that we don't know exist. We rarely get gang/tactical lineups for many districts. Although many dispatchers may not keep track of where units are, or occasionally during a relief switch such information is lost, many officers seem to have the belief that they aren't required to tell us where they are, we're not their "bosses," we have no right to "check" on them and make sure they're where they say they are.
And when a unit on-views a disturbance and screams for help from a location unknown to the zone, they believe it's the dispatcher's fault, even in situations where their PCAD location is a mile from where they need help and they never informed the zone/citywide of the change.
We don't dispute that we're not out in the field, and therefore don't live the stress of literally fighting for our lives. But we can't get help to where police haven't told us they are. Officer safety in the field goes both ways.
posted by CPDDispatch @ 3:05 PM
12 Comments:
Add to do list under Fearless Leader.
Sometimes they run and run, turn corners go down alleys and through lots, blocks from where they started all the while trying to keep their breath and site on the offender, while looking for a visable street sign in an effort to further call out to the squad. Not cool, but it can and does occur during foot chases.
Why is it, that all tact offices, etc. are not sending in line ups. OEMC just needs to know whose up and available. No big secret there. WE know tact and other units pretty much fly on their own but no line ups. Who is responsible for receiving full line ups from districts and units, usually watch sec. or an assigned desk personnel are responsible for making the notification of line ups to OEMC. Does anyone remember their directives. I thought any unit on the air should be known by OEMC for each and every tour. Dispatch your not referencing the broom closet detail are you or maybe you are.
Some of the issues can be readily fixed it's called; yep your right again, communication, simple follow thru. This time verging on officers safety.
sorry to switch topics
Is there any truth in the rumour I heard that the new hires for dispatcher are NOT going to be promoted from our calltakers like they are suppose to be but instead from the old list off the street?
There was a posting for weeks that the pc02 position was bid only, is this another attempt to shove our union contract up our a$$?
GPS anyone?
Since this is the OEMC blog would anyone of you confirm or deny the use of it?
There have been many a post saying it is used and many stating it is not. It is known that it is use for some "investigations" but is OEMC activiely tracking cars? Is it a trial run on a few cars or more prevalent?
If it is in use how come when beat XXXX is running and is not able to give out a precise location for whatever reason, can the dispatcher then give location of vehicle and send units in that direction.
I've always considered you men and women my partners when I'm out there. My Guardians On The Zone- Thank you
First let me say I work all the zones and we do not have the capability to track cars, If we did when youre screaming for help we wouldnt need to ask where the unit is. Secondly, we all know that youre the big bad police so you dont feel the dispatchers always need to know where you are or what youre doing because you and your partner can handle anything that comes your way, but remember that when you start screaming into the radio for help and no one can understand what your saying and no one knows where you are, dont blame the dispatchers for not getting you the help you need in a timely manner because your the big bad police and didnt want the dispatchers to know where you are. So dont blame the dispatchers, blame youre self. Rememer the lovely citizens have you out numbered and in most causes out gunned, so if i were you i would let the dispatchers know was i was
I can't imagine how scary it can be chasing the bad guy and just not knowing where you are. But when the other units in the field keep asking "where IS he squad?" and they've heard the same thing you have, it does get frutstarting. All of us want to make sure those coppers are going home at night... I don't know if I could handle someone getting hurt or killed when it's my job to get them that help, but we really need to work together.
If you're detailed somewhere, hey, come up and let us know you're out there tonight and where you are. We'll just throw you on a detail ticket, and not bother you for the rest of the night. I had the fun expreince of having some tact cars in a southside district screaming for cars from a search they did. They didn't know the address at that moment, and 3, yes 3 different ones were getting yelled out, putting 1 in another district. Everyone was ok in the end, but I had the watch commander call me up asking if they ever called out that search. If they had, obviously I would have recognized the address and help would have got there faster... and been in serious trouble for that delay of help. Of course that would have been my fault. But when you do that secret squirrel stuff and don't bother to send the zone a message, what are we to do?
Sorry guys... we're not omnipotent. They only reason we seem to know everything when you ask a question is because we use every resourse we have... the computers, old history, and dispatchers around us. I still think po's need to plug in from time to time so they can appreciate what we do. We had ride alongs when hired as calltakers and dispatchers... and I don't think I'll forget mine ^_^
We do not have GPS on the operations floor. I don't know if they are testing it out in the Joint Operations Center or in those little trailers in back of our building where the P.O's with all the Huberman clout do God knows what, but the regular dispatchers on the regular zones/citywides do not have it.
I have always hated when some 2 year wonder in a bag of weed chase would yell at you. I always hear it in 007. "SQAd!!! Fucking over here!" The unit never lets anybody know his secret squirrel location and then tyells and swears at you people.You guys have a hard job and we appreciate all you do for us police in the field, sometimes its all our faults.
OFF TOPIC Please excuse me
Do you screen the comments prior to posting? If so I'm a retired Sgt. and would like to find out if the dispatcher that ran my zone is still there and get in contact with her. As I'm out of state I would supply you with my e-mail. Thanks and my dispatchers always did a great job>
11:29, I never had a problem with the kids in 007 like that. Had a few problems with places where tact teams simply wouldn't answer their radios at times. I mean like whole teams for 15 minutes or 30 minutes.
Guess what. If a team refuses to answer and a sergeant refuses to answer? Red line. Not trying to get anyone in trouble, but SOMEBODY better start looking for these guys and it ain't gonna be me sitting on the 3rd floor at 1411 with a cord wrapped around my neck.
On that note, YOU and anyone else are NUTS if you put a car down on a secret squirrel mission based on nothing more than a message from a car. Their location does not need to go over the air, but no way do you put a car down off the air without permission (instruction) from their sergeant. You don't have to give them a hard time or nothing. Just raise their sergeant and verify that the unit is to be put down/missioned out at a location which will not be stated on the air.
Their safety, their rules. We just lay it out so they can play it out.
Take it from one CPD Tact officer who has been on the west side and the north side. I agree that ninety percent of the faults in communication are the polices fault where ten percent lies on the dispatcher. All in all, you guys do a damn good job. Thanks for having patience with us.
From a sort of an outsider here's my take on this subject. For those that know me, know what I do for a living and have a grasp of the jobs on both sides. I have to agree with the dispatch point of view , they need to know who's on their Zones and many times I hear what they hear. I understand though the reason for the secret squirrel missions as well. Some of the people that do listen are goofballs, myself not included mind you..LOL, and will follow around Tact Teams and things like that. I'd say a majority of scanner folks are just sitting in their living rooms and enjoying the nonsense they hear. Whether it be on your PDT's or on the phone to the Zone or City-Wide, let them know what you guys are doing. I frequently hear cars screaming out and no one knows who they are. For your own safety sake, don't worry about who hears you, worry about if you need help that dispatcher knows who you are and where you are...stay safe..
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