The Telecommunicator – Police Officer Relationship

Congratulations to all of our PowerPhone students and all Telecommunicators across our country as we celebrate National Telecommunicators Week. All of you work diligently every day to keep citizens and your responders safe. We believe that you are the hardest working members of the Public Safety team in the trench every day holding lives in your hands. In these difficult times, you are often asked to do more with less, and somehow manage to pull through with miracles.

We at PowerPhone know that your efforts are not always appreciated by those that you work for or with. One topic of discussion during many Law Enforcement Dispatch classes that elicits enthusiastic student participation is always in regards to the dispatcher’s relationship with their police officers. As we know this is not always a positive experience. Predictably whenever students share their positive relationships with officers, there are usually specific reasons for it. Many credit such situations as combined training, ride-a-long programs, having meals together, officers co-working the desk, and socializing outside of work. My former police department has an excellent dispatcher/officer relationship for many of the above reasons. As the department’s former Training Officer I scheduled combined In-service training in such areas as Domestic Violence, Bias Crimes, CPR, Hazardous Materials, Blood Borne Pathogens, Incident Command, and other topics of mutual interest.

A dispatcher, who is professional, adequately trained, and self motivated is often frustrated by some police officers’ ignorant attitudes that clearly express “You’re only a Dispatcher.”

Everyone in Law Enforcement needs to realize that we are all working together to accomplish the mission and goals of our agencies. We all perform different functions that are equally important. Police officers need to realize and appreciate that dispatchers are truly the first person on the scene of every crime, fire, incident, or medical emergency. The questions they ask, decisions they make, and the actions they take will determine the speed, effectiveness, and safety of a call. The police officer and caller both depend on their competence for safety and protection.

Recently while teaching a PowerPhone class, one dispatcher advised the class that she felt dispatchers must make every effort to continually improve their level of proficiency and competence. She felt that in doing so police officers gain greater respect for the dispatcher and their contributions to the law enforcement profession.

When a police officer is assigned to fill a vacancy in dispatch, it is usually not a welcomed assignment for the day. Generally speaking when this occurs, the officer is not sufficiently trained, proficient or comfortable in performing these tasks. (Despite what he might tell you about how he should be out on the street performing what he or she believes to be a more important function.) Yet police departments continue to believe that officers trained only as officers, are ready to assume the responsibility of dispatching. We would not have a traffic officer supervise a homicide investigation, nor would we send a dispatcher out on patrol when an officer calls out sick. Inadequate training for any personnel performing specific functions leads to greater exposure to liability.

Positive dispatcher/police officer relationships are critical to officer survival and agency efficiency. Whether the blame in your department lies with officer attitude, lack of dispatcher training, or management, PowerPhone may have your solution. Every dispatcher should remember if you go to work thinking “you’re only a dispatcher”, someone may die. Your function is that important and that critical. As Stated earlier, you often hold peoples lives in your hands. I have observed dispatchers professionally dictate pre-arrival medical instructions to a distraught mother whose baby had stopped breathing. Through his efforts the mother was able to resuscitate the baby. At the conclusion of the call, he sat back in his chair, took a deep breath, and modestly stated “All in a days work”. You may not always be the miracle workers you’re expected to be, but you are amazing people doing an amazing job. Keep up the great work!! Enjoy this years “National Telecommunicators Week”, you deserve it.

As Director of Training and leader of PowerPhone’s Instructor Corps, George Deuchar is responsible for developing course curricula and designing new programs for emergency telecommunicators. He has trained approximately 30,000 9-1-1 operators in the United States, as well as international locations.

Captain Deuchar is a retired 26-year veteran from the Washington Twp. Police Department in New Jersey. During his law enforcement career he served in numerous capacities including Patrol, Investigations, Communications, Community Service, and Administration.

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