Dispatch policy

We've heard more buzz about getting pulled through the ringer in the last two days than we can shake a stick at. But there are ways to prepare ourselves for the next time police department brass tries to blame us for the long dispatch times due in part to their manpower shortage.

We need to be truly dispatching according to their policy - CPD dictates how we dispatch to their patrol units. If they want no delay in dispatch of high-priority calls (per Deputy Superintendent CW), then focus on those. If they don't want lower-priority calls stacked behind 1A and 1B and 1C calls, then don't, unless the only unit you have up is 99 (can't send them alone on the majority of high-priority calls).

Make sure you keep those red jobs off the board as best as you can. You won't always be able to not "see red," but do what you have to do. If the blue and green (lower-priority) calls have to wait because you're getting killed with in-progresses? So be it.

We'd like to advocate getting anyone's request for service handled in a timely manner, but we know it just can't be done with the low numbers of field units in districts. And there's no better way to make the CPD (brass, not working stiffs)take a step back and stop avoiding the real reason why these calls can't get dispatched according to their policy, than to dispatch according to their policy and still have people complain about wait times, i.e., 3-5 hours for paper because every time we finally clear the board of red jobs (especially in the summer) and get ready to give out some blue and green ones, here come more red ones to put the rest on the backburner again.

Great idea, we think, at least in theory. We just hope our bosses see the logic here and don't breathe down our necks because we have a ton of jobs wayyyyyyyy over the time limit, even though they're low-priority.