Incoming and Outgoing Phone Calls
Phones, phones, phones. Yes, we work in a call center. Yes, Blogmaster expects to be on the phone a significant amount of the time. But that is generally expected when one is a calltaker, or acting in a calltaking capacity answering 911 calls and manning the ad desk. However, Blogmaster has been constantly struck--unpleasantly so--by the volume and the nature of phone calls coming in and going out on dispatch consoles and it is not the public.
No, Blogmaster is referring to the pax lines, the direct calls to the zones and citywides, and the frequent requests for callbacks when field units are unable to make contact with 911 callers. On certain occasions, it is so prevalent that the secondary dispatcher is spending a majority of the time on the phone, away from the radio, and unable to assist the primary dispatcher in handling operations and incoming assignments. Like the messages, the phone calls have gotten out of control.
Calls to the zones are from districts desks: they want rds, mission or doc numbers, or information they really should be able to retrieve for themselves using station computers. Calls from field units IN the station already wanting transports, times, or other information they could obtain for themselves using station computers or their radios to go over the zone. Or field units who want to take lunch, have time due, or need doc/mission numbers but dont want to go over the radio. Calls from the area, from steets and san, from the fusion center, from the sgts or lts needing this or that. Phone calls to the zones that don't--in most cases--really need to be made and really should not be made. Every time a dispatcher--or a citywide person where the call bounces if the zone does not pick up--answers these calls, they are being distracted from their primary duties.
And this is just the INCOMING calls. Does anyone recognize the extreme increase in requests for callbacks from field units? Blogmaster has noticed that more than half of the field units responding to their assignments routinely request a callback from the dispatcher and not just for the priority jobs either. Parkers, crashes, disturbances, and ordinance violations have all brought the phrase, "squad you got a callback?" On certain zones--think north side, ahem--Blogmaster has heard on more than one occasion field units ask the dispatcher to call back the caller BEFORE they even arrive onscene. Again, making these callbacks takes the dispatchers away from the radio and away from their partner which is not so significant in January but has huge implications in warmer months, especially on busier zones.
Blogmaster has long believed that dispatch phones should be used very sparingly and only when needed. A field unit at a hospital, for example, who cannot transmit and needs to make a notification. Or the times when the dispatcher REQUESTS a unit to call to the zone for information to make a notification. Callbacks--which are NOT required by any SOP, directive, or general order--should be solely at the discretion of the dispatcher and Blogmaster firmly believes that dispatchers should use that discretion a bit more by telling the field units, "handle accordingly" in most cases.
posted by CPDDispatch @ 12:00 AM
23 Comments:
As a street Sgt, I wholeheartedly agree about the callbacks. I try to tell these kids in rollcall that it is incumbent upon the caller to watch for the Police, and if they aren't there to just give a code, but they are all afraid. Of course, there are exceptions, and I think we all know what they would be so I won't go into them. This job would get better again if people would just grow a set and make a decision once in awhile.
07 January, 2008 09:25
Woah take it easy tough guy. Are you going to back us up when there is no answer on a domestic, the call back is denied and than that caller ends up hurt or even worse dead???? I am willing to say no, since 99 percent of bosses have NO sack either. When this happens its going to be the responding unit left out to dry and the old "handle accordingly" will be quoted in the CR#. I understand that most callbacks are for BS reasons but denying a callback on a 1A domestic seems wrong. Im asking for alittle help from the dispatch, the same dispatch that asks us to clear so we can clear her board. Its a two way street, we are in this together but sometimes it seems all anyone is worried about it is the RAP or backlog. My comment to the dispatch is to tell their bosses to hire more police because from now on
I will be dogging my job and clearing on my time! Let the westside burn, I dont live here!
is the blogmaster aware that when in the highrises or the office buildings in the downtown area or in the subway there is also no transmission ? and a call back is then necessary or the unit has to call in to get there rd#s and or keep from being red lined by the dispatcher that is unaware he can hear you but cant transmit out?
yes we are aware of the non-working radio in the high rise situation. i'm sure blogmaster was referring to a PO who asks for a callback, and when dispatch calls back, learns the PO is still sitting in the squad car, never even getting out to ring the alledged "non-working bell".
the quantity of callback requests are a joke and most dispatchers won't do them - and yes there are exceptions and we know that.
1st and 16th
If there dead the cant answer anyway, and by the way there is nothing in writing that requires dispatchers to do call backs, so get out the car and knock on the door, if they dont answer give it a code and move on but we know that wont happen you'll wait two hours before you give it a code, but thats ok cause the cop that works the beat you live on is doing the same thing, dogging there job
for ofc 1st & 16th you are so mistaken. By no means are you helping out the dispatcher by "clearing a board" you are merely helping the citizens that you agreed to help when you took that oath.
the worst is when you are asked to do a callback only to find that when you get the complaintant on the phone they are already talking to the police. it only takes a second to say squad forget it we made contact. that is my pet peeve, because like was said earlier im doing this and it is taking me away from my partner and the main part of my job, dispatch !
i completely agree with 1st and 16th. i understand not doing a call back on bs calls like parkers and crashes but on a 1a job like a domestic,we ask for a call back to cover ourselves because just in case something happens,we will at least be covered to show we did everything possible to make contact.
You [the beat car] won't get a call back because most of the zones are working 99. Oh, they're suppose to be 10-4, but more often than not, the other person is on foot patrol, just because.
Because they don't get along.
Because they are turning in their no swipe cata slip.
Because they are eating.
Because they are going to the bathroom.
Because they need to make a phone call with a little privacy.
Because--well, you should get the picture by now.
"Callbacks--which are NOT required by any SOP, directive, or general order--should be solely at the discretion of the dispatcher"
Then tell the units no more often.
But we all know that's not going to happen. What will happen is that the callbacks will continue to happen, and all you are going to do is continue to complain about it.
If you don't like doing your job, which is very apparent from the majority of posts here, then quit. Take up basket weaving or something.
I totally respect the job u guys do, but let me vent here. I have a serious problem with whoever answers the 311 calls, and transfers the caller to a certain southside district (mine), without actually trying to connect the caller with who can really help them. Who can I complain to? My district, regularly gets calls transferred to us from all over the U.S.A. And while I'm at it, when a person calls 411, and asks for the # to the CPD, they are given a choice of 36 and Mich., 78 and Halsted or 51 and Wentworth, I have called 411, from different locations and services and found this to be the norm, whats up with that? TX. We love u Pat (g).
Here at 311 we always connect to various police districts. Why???? Because that's what people request of us. We don't deal with many life threatening situations such as 911 or the police officers but if we connect to a police district the officer that picks up on the other line is most likely not doing anything productive anyway and don't forget when you refer to a 311 call being connected it could either be from the civilian side or the police side, you know ars the portion of officers that are either injured or being investigated... did you forget about them??
With that being said we are all in this little boat of complaints together like it or not.311 has certain issues with 911 and the police, 911 has certain issues with 311 and the police, the police has certain issues with 311 and 911...I can bet all complaints can be traced back to upper management in all departments. Lets not tear each other down.
I agree that the number of callbacks requested by field units is out of control. It is at the dispatcher's discretion to callback. Most dispatchers will not have a problem calling a citizen back on a high priority job. If a job appears to pose a risk to human life/safety or if it involves children in harms way, then a call back is not a big deal. We understand that those types of jobs have more of a risk involved and that a callback could be the difference between service or no service for someone who really needs it. My problem comes in when officers ask for non-priority callbacks. If I have one more unit ask for a callback on a bs dist, accident, or parker I am going to scream. My favorite is when I tell the unit the call is 3rd party and they still are asking for a callback anyway. Same thing goes for asking dispatchers to call alarm companies back. Those alarm companies are not onscene and have no idea what they are being asked half the time when we do call. Unless something is open and you have no way to secure it then it is a fruitless effort. I can recall numerous times being on the phone forever waiting to see if they could have a key holder respond with no results. My favorite being when the alarm company told me that they didn't even have an alarm sounding at the very same address their company had called one in for 5 mins earlier.
Anyway as for the officers that read this blog, we do respect the work you do. We just hope you respect work we do for you. Asking for all these callbacks only makes it that much harder to do all the other things you asks to do like notifications to other city departments and ordering tows. We want to help you out the best we can from where we are, but it makes it really hard to do when one of us spends half their time on the phone doing callbacks on things that don't really warrant them.
blah blah blah blah blah.....use your discretion dispatchers......if a cop askes you for a call back and the complaint isn't worthy of one then tell them no ! it only takes a second to say no, handle accordingly. just like when the police ask for call backs and they haven't even gone up the stairs to knock on the door......they ask for one and i say they called from apt 1a you can't gain entry ? and the response is always, well hold on a second let me try again. which in cop language is let me get out of my car and try ringing the bell......the point is, they are gonna ask and you can either do it or not......not a big deal and i work a busy zone.....if it's too busy that's exactly what i say, we don't have time for it handle accordingly !
Gonna have to back u pthe boys on this one...working in 011 I handle probably 5-8 domestics a tour. We read the screen...if its a third party caller or a bum cell phone sure no problem its 1B. But any house call domestics should get a callback...both dispatch and officers know if that person ends up dead then so are we...our bosses will hang us out to dry will yours? Secondly if you are 99 on the desk because you don't get along with the person next to you GROW THE FUCK UP! I spent far too many tours next to assholes but bite the bullet and carry on.
i work on zone 12 as a po on the street, i agree why do some of these goofy cops ask for callbacks on kids yelling up and down the street on a summer day. im with the dispatchers on this one
We're not 99 because we "dont get along with the person next to us"... We're 99 because we are literally sitting there by ourselves.... The other person, our "partner" has walked off to do GOD knows what. So in those cases, I have to say, "Sorry, I CAN'T callback because I'm 99. " That's just an Officer Safety issue. There's no good reason for me to leave the air, when at any second, on any zone for that matter, an Officer can have an emergency, and quite frankly, that is more Impt to me, than doing a call back. I have no problem doing callbacks when I actually have a partner..... at least on Domestics, and such. But for parkers and silly disturbances- use your best judgement when giving the appropriate code. 19P, 5B, those work just fine. :)
I don't get out of my car or ask for call backs. I just code it if no one comes up to my car.
SUPER POLICE!
I have never heard of anyone getting a CR# from a case where they didn't ask for a callback. I challenge you to give me an example.
We were told by The Watch Commander in roll Call, That if we do a callback, then we are held accountable. Call backs are NOT required by any sops, period. If you as a dispatcher, make a callback, for whatever reason. you are HELD accountable, if something goes wrong. With that said, I still do some callbacks. I don't mind helping anyone out, when I can.
I work on the northside... These idiots call the police. We arrive, and it ALWAYS a apartment building and you either cant into the front gate or the front door. God forbid they come down to meet you or unlock the #@$%& door prior to your arrival. We are on THEIR time.,sometimes I wonder how DID that burgular get in when I cant!
What I am tired of is the Detectives calling for us to fax reports to them that we enter into Chris at ARS. As I have told many, Go to Chris, the report is right there and print it up yourself please.
What we really need, and you old-timers will know what I'm talking about, are more "Stan the Mans" and "Nicks" (Zone 10) who would get on the zone and tell the boys and girls right away that there are no callbacks tonight.
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