Clowns, weinermobiles, and fake shootings all part of 911 dispatcher training

YORK, PA — Heard anything a little funny on your police scanner lately?

Maybe a deranged clown cruising around town? How about an irate diner customer threatening people over a bad plate of eggs?

No, your fellow York countians haven’t collectively lost their minds. Unusual 911 calls have been broadcast throughout the week as part of a training exercise for new dispatchers.

The training, which uses real radios and dispatcher consoles, is one part of a 12-week, 480-hour course that future dispatchers take before they begin answering calls on their own, said Carl Lindquist, York County spokesman. During the mock call week, trainees simulate 356 different scenarios they could face while on the job, he said.

Most of them are serious — those calls blend right into the chatter on a police scanner. But a few — like those that stood out during the week — include humorous details to keep the trainees on their toes, Lindquist said.

“Any good trainer uses a variety of techniques to help students remain engaged in the curriculum,” Lindquist said. “Using those kinds of techniques is common both in 911 centers statewide and across the nation.”

So when you heard calls about the driver of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile cruising up and down Market Street flipping people the bird, that was just a little bit of dispatcher humor.

A few more serious calls raised eyebrows, too, namely a fictional report of a police officer shot behind a specific local high school. But there was never any threat to public safety, Lindquist said.

The training channel used by the dispatchers isn’t accessible to emergency responders. The only people confused by the unusual calls, were folks at home who listen to the scanner and a few exasperated journalists, Lindquist said.

York County 911 did not receive any calls from the public asking about the incidents, Lindquist said.

“It wouldn’t have affected anything publicly,” he said. “It’s people training, learning how to do their jobs.”

Read the story here.

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