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IAmA 911 dispatcher for a county sheriff's office ama
Been a dispatcher for almost 11 yrs and dispatch for 6 police agencies, 8 fire depts, and 6 ambulances.
ImgurEdit 1: I have to get off here around 3:30pm central time for work but keep the questions coming I will answer them all later tonight or tomorrow.
Edit. 2: I'm back for more questions for a little bit.
Edit 3: I am still here if there are any more questions, ask away.
awesomeglasses3 karma
Are you who I think you are? There is a video on the internet in which a little boy calls 911 for his math homework... It was super adorable.
Zixt30 karma
In your (almost) 11 years of being an emergency dispatcher, what's the worst situation you've ever heard called over your radio while on shift?
hcsotc461 karma
I have had 2 instances that come to mind, the first was actually a call from a lady who was having a heart attack and could not give me her address all I could do was listen as she took her last breath and passed away on the phone. The other was a semi truck that colided with a car and the semi driver was pinned in his cab when the fuel tank exploded and nearly killed the man. If it was not for a couple of well trained and dedicated state troopers the man would not be alive.
hcsotc434 karma
It took a couple weeks for me to get over the lady dying while I was on the phone with her. The truck driver did not take too long cause he was saved just badly burned.
zookoala12 karma
Did you not have e911 in your jurisdiction to at least start units rolling towards what it displayed as the address? Even 11 years ago most jurisdictions had e911 across the us however there are of course exceptions.
hcsotc415 karma
We are a super small county and did not have and we still do not have E911 i wished we could have it.
hcsotc45 karma
I guess not exploded but it caught on fire from a leak in the tank and a previous fire but from what the troopers said it went up fast.
hcsotc455 karma
We had a 3 or 4 year old boy that went missing near a corn field, looked all over for him for like 10 hours, thought he must have went in the corn field to play, we had all kinds of people searching and his father, who was away for work came home to help and while getting ready found the kid asleep under the bed. Turned out real good for everyone.
crazykitty12315 karma
People would be surprised how often this happens. There were people searching one neighborhood we used to live in for a 4-year-old boy that had gone missing. We ended up helping and were back in front of their house around the block when a police officer found the kid asleep behind a dresser in the house. Apparently they know that this happens a lot.
crazykitty12315 karma
OMG, this now reminds me of the time in that same neighborhood when we couldn't find our 6-year-old son for a short while. I was just starting to get panicky (it was probably about 10 minutes but felt like forever) when we found him in the garage. He was sitting on our 4-wheeler (ATV) with his helmet on, slumped over fast asleep. He had been pretending to drive it and just fell asleep.
Kids just do that!
hcsotc45 karma
It does we have found more kids like that but it was within minutes usually not hours.
Walnut1567 karma
Many years ago I stayed the night at a friends house, some how I fell asleep under his bed even though I originally was sleeping in the guest room... his mother was freaking out for pretty much the whole night until she saw my foot come from under there, I still don't remember moving under there.
lilylizlane6 karma
My grandparents thought my uncle went missing back when he was 8. He was going fishing and he didn't come back. They called the police and searched all over the city. Where was he? He came back to an empty house 30 minutes after they started the search and fell asleep in his toy box.
hcsotc435 karma
Yes for officer safety it is policy should they get injured or worse we need to know where they are and who we are looking for so at the very least they give us the plate number, vehicle description, and location of the stop. I am sure a few stops have been made without us knowing but i would say 99% we know about.
[deleted]8 karma
Does your department also implement a timing system once an officer says they have stopped a vehicle? In my home town once they call in there is a time limit. If that time limit is reached the computer in the officers car will beep to let the officer know its been a while since they last radioed in. If they fail to radio in then dispatch will try to contact the officer. If no contact is made then the officers name becomes red on other officers computers notifying them that an officer does or may need assistance.
hcsotc49 karma
We do not have a system like that but we do 5 minute checks unless an officer says they are secure longer than that.
[deleted]6 karma
Thanks for the answer. My explanation might have been a bit more technical then the system really is because essentially its like your 5 minutes just computerized and allows troopers deputies and other town officers in the area to be able to respond faster if an officer is in distress.
hcsotc43 karma
The state police use a system like what you spoke of, we are technologically in the 1980's here lol.
topgun_iceman18 karma
They also (at least at my dads old department) touch the back of the trunk of the car as they're walking by to leave a fingerprint so they can identify the person if they get shot by the fingerprint on their car.
hcsotc414 karma
I think what he/she meant was so the vehicle can be traced if its located to the officer who could be shot by the person driving.
smw21026 karma
I would say this is an older LEO generation routine. The majority of LE departments have mounted dash cams, and some are using body cams. Also prior to the stop, the vehicle's license pate is recorded (if it's available, and providing it's not a false plate).
hcsotc48 karma
Thats true but almost all the officers I work with state troopers included still do it. It may be a training academy thing the teachers all are old timers pretty much.
hcsotc44 karma
I have never heard of it being used but I have noticed when I do ride alongs they still do it.
misskitty50775 karma
This is also done to feel if there is someone moving in the vehicle that cannot be seen.
mrMonkeypaws21 karma
How do you cope with the emotional side of having to listen to what you do? I understand that you need to be professional at work but how do you deal with it when you get home?
hcsotc427 karma
My wife is a psychologist so that helps but usually i just chat with friends who are all dispatchers or emergency workers. Sometimes i also just replay stuff in my mind and see if I/we could have done it better.
RJPatrick15 karma
Firstly I'd like to say I admire you greatly for your service to society!
1: How long are your shifts? Can you take frequent breaks? 2: Can you get time off if you have a particularly traumatic call? 3: What is your typical response time? 4: Have you ever been able to later meet anyone who you have assisted with an emergency call?
hcsotc415 karma
Thank you
We work 3 eight hour shifts 7a-3p 3p-11p and 11p to 7a we get breaks when officers stop in which is pretty frequent
We have a union policy that gives us time off for traumatic calls however no one has taken one since I have started
Response times vary depending on where the officer is to the call and for ambulance and fire calls all services are volunteer so that depends on them as well. Our response as far as receiving the call and then dispatching it is just seconds from the time we hang up the phone.
Yes all the time actually we are a small county of 8500 residents so we run into people we help and arrest all the time.
RJPatrick9 karma
Interesting, thank you! Are you happy with your job, or would you consider moving on in future?
hcsotc49 karma
It wears on you and somedays I think I can not wait to get out of here and others I love it whole heartedly.
RJPatrick5 karma
Are there good career optioons open to you as a result of your experience?
hcsotc46 karma
Yes I think so if I move but with a family its kind of hard to do but not out of the picture.
zookoala4 karma
Do you call the officers in if you have to take an urgent break? That was my last favorite part of being sole dispatcher in a small town.
"Car 17- dispatch has to shit" - essentially what I felt like I was saying......
klybo212 karma
What was the funniest call you have ever taken? Do you have any running jokes with people?
hcsotc432 karma
We have a man that calls us 2-3 times a week to complain about people speeding by his house, we have maybe clocked 1 car going fast the rest he just hates because he is a grumpy old man. He claims his eyes are certified radar guns and he can clock cars up to 70 MPH just with his eyes.
We have a few running jokes in house with officers that if the people we talk about found out may get angry.
sourdsmokin12 karma
In Texas, they actually do certify trooper's eyes as radar guns. Weird, I know.
ford_racer10 karma
Same in Montana from the police officers I've spoken too. They require them to guess the speed of a car within 5 mph.
carlfro10 karma
How do you respond when someone is prank calling you, but you are not allowed to hang up?
hcsotc416 karma
In the few times it has happened we knew who it was and they received a complimentary night in jail and a felony charge of false 911 calls
wondertaco10 karma
So me and my mother got into an argument about this a few months ago because she is a very emotional type person but: when somebody calls is it easier for you to handle if the caller is calm and not screaming at you?
hcsotc412 karma
Very much so but we are trained to handle calls in all sitiuations and with varying degrees of background noises and emotions.
wondertaco4 karma
Thats what she was trying to tell me but I just thought she was crazy cause it wasn't involving us, we just drove past and she freaked out. I was trying to calm her down because the the dispatcher couldnt understand the license plate number she was giving.
orangebloom10 karma
Have you ever had someone call you and talk in a language that you did not understand? What do you do in that situation?
Also, when do you get the largest call volume? In day or night? Summer or winter? etc...
hcsotc410 karma
I have received one call from a person who spoke chinese and when that happened we used a translator from the state police.
Largest volume of calls are Friday through Sunday nights 5p-5a on summer nights.
Or on any full moon night.
chickengoggles10 karma
A full moon? I thought the whole "people acting strangely because its a full moon" thing was like an old wives tale. It's actually true??
_Personage6 karma
You know, the last person I heard say that was a cloistered nun. I'm gonna go ahead and believe you both...
Keevtara4 karma
Do you think it's because people are more likely to be out when there's a full moon? I'm more likely to go walking when there's a full moon out, because of the extra light.
hcsotc48 karma
I would contact there administrator to file a complaint. We have the same sitiuation some times and always send help towards them until we find out an exact location. Since we have volunteer ambulances sometimes on the best days and depending on where they have to go it still takes 25 mins so we try to get them out fast every minute counts.
tryingtoworkoutmylif5 karma
I was at a situation once when I was in the center of my city, and saw a serious assault happening outside one of our main tourist landmarks. Called the police from my phone and the dispatcher wouldn't send a single car until I gave her an address. I carefully explained that I had no idea of the address and that if you lived in my city you would have to know of this place. (eg, similar to bean in Chicago)
Anyway, after I threatened to sort out the situation myself to the dispatcher, loe and behold six cop cars turn up to arrest the guy, and to bring me in for questioning. Turns out that the call was being monitored, once I gave a statement explaining my version of events she was fired on the spot.
Morale of the story - Do complain!
hcsotc46 karma
We get that a lot because we are a rural county and sometimes directions go by landmarks like trees, houses, and such so we sometimes never get an address just "uncle johns old house on so and so road". we do our best with what we got and never not send somebody.
emmetfryan9 karma
What education did you need to become a dispatcher? If it's not too personal, how much do you make (Or in what range is your salary)?
hcsotc416 karma
I have a high school diploma and some on the job training and tests you need to pass to get hired. Because i work in a small county we do not get paid as well as others but i make roughly $32000 a year with overtime not including benefits.
SantaClaaaus9 karma
What is a typical day for you? High stress all the time? Any down time?
hcsotc413 karma
It varies by day and shift but mostly 3-4 calls an hour on average on weekend nights that usually doubles. Of those calls probably half are high stress calls of some kind.
Finnbannach7 karma
Wow! 3-4 calls per hour? Our center gets 300-400 legit calls for service in a normal shift on the weekend. Higher than that during the week.
hcsotc47 karma
We are a small county of 8500 residents so its kind of laid back most of the times.
Finnbannach6 karma
Well....whether 3 calls or 300.... it's not an easy job and you need to be able to think quick and adapt to ever changing types of calls. We have an extremely high turnover at our agency. Some can't handle the stress, others just cant do the job.
hcsotc43 karma
Very true I have probably trained 4 or 5 who did not make it through probation due to stress and not being able to handle calls under pressure
hcsotc422 karma
Craziest would probably be that the local water tower was on fire....the joke was on me metal and water do not burn easy. LOL
Most intense was probably the shooting i spoke about earlier where 3 people got shot at a local bar.
qqitsdennis7 karma
When you get 'man with a gun' calls, what's the usual protocol? I've seen dozens of videos where open carry demonstrators are told someone called in, and the usual question from the demonstrator is 'did your dispatch ask what I was doing?'.
Is there some type of requirement to dispatch an officer? If someone called in and said he's uncomfortable about a person walking down the street with a toolbelt or a briefcase, would dispatches response be handled similarly or differently than MWAG?
hcsotc45 karma
We are the last state to approve concealed carry (hint hint from which state I reside) so we do not have to many MWAG calls other than hunters and we respond to those as you would with any MWAG call I guess, and that is usually 2 officers at least when available and approach with weapons unholstered but not pointed at anyone until its needed.
lamarrotems5 karma
Interesting. My new job requires me to spend a great deal of time in rural NW IL. Crazy how different things are from the city or suburbs. It's a whole other world that many are oblivious too (like me before this job).
qqitsdennis2 karma
usually 2 officers at least when available and approach with weapons unholstered but not pointed at anyone until its needed.
Hopefully two officers arriving with weapons drawn is due to the relatively low level of firearm freedom in your state. I believe this act in my state comes with a pretty standard $25k lawsuit.
Thoaishea7 karma
I just wanted to thank you to actually answer almost all (if not all) the questions posted here, it's so rare to see nowadays!
liarandathief6 karma
What percentage of calls are pranks or ridiculous? (e.g. MacDonalds out of nuggets)
hcsotc416 karma
Very few maybe 2-3 in my almost 11 yrs as far as pranks but what we do get are a lot "why is the power, gas, cable, or phone out, when is the local parade, when is trick or treat, etc" When i need a cop I do not call the gas company so I am not sure when people need the gas company they call the cops. Sorry for the rant.
_FutureScientist6 karma
You mentioned you live in a small county. How often do you encounter a caller you know?
Has anyone ever called 911 for a non-emergency so they can get a ride to the hospital?
hcsotc46 karma
I would guess 60% of my calls are people i know.
Yes we have a few people who can not afford gas and call to go to the hospital then usually when they get released they go get groceries and try to find a way back. Usually a police officer will bring them from jurisdiction to jurisdiction until the make it back to their city/town.
30ocho6 karma
Fellow 911 dispatcher asking the universal question that sets us all apart. Foot pedal or push button for transmitting?
hcsotc47 karma
We read back the owners info and vehicle make, model , and color. We give back ticket info when they run a drivers license along with the persons name and physical description.
hcsotc45 karma
We have little to no say its all officer descretion but generally if we call in a complaint off duty or something the police will respond. Sometimes they will ask if we know the person and if they are alright people or not and that weighs on their descision
Ems09195 karma
What advice would you give someone trying to become a dispatcher? Any pointers for the test and interview?
hcsotc43 karma
Not everyone is cut out for this line of work, so I would say first you can not be too shy because talking is a big part and talking on the radio is just like performing in front of a huge crowd that you cant see, you have to be able to maintain your attention to detail and different tasks, and be able to multi task. I personally did not have to test for my position I kind of just landed here (they needed a dispatcher on short notice and i was first to say yes) as for the interview I would say be completely honest most offices do background checks, lie detector tests, and some do investigations with your relatives and/or friends and references. Be confident no boss wants to put someone in charge of helping people who is not very confident. Always be polite you are most times the first person people talk to when requesting help. And if you have any prior knowledge of dispatching or volunteer work as ems or fire be sure to tell them that, it may be kind of minor to you but it shows that you can talk on the radio and handle stressful sitiuations. All of our dispatchers are fire or ems and some are both. If you can join a volunteer service before applying it could help.
hcsotc43 karma
Also I forgot if they allow you to do a ride along with the police or a sit in on the dispatch center try that and see what its all about. We do both here as long as you are 18 or older.
Duke_of_Fritzburg3 karma
I have dispatched taxicabs for 5 years. Would that help? Would my minor criminal record hurt?
hcsotc43 karma
The experience would be a plus and the criminal record could hurt our office will not hire anyone with more than a traffic record due to the sensitive info we come across.
LadyPhoenyx5 karma
Have you ever received a call where you could not understand them at all and you were unable to help them due to a lack of information? Do you know what ended up happening to them?
hcsotc45 karma
Yes I have but eventually we found them and helped them it took about 2 hrs to locate them and it was for an ambulance call. The person survived.
hcsotc46 karma
When I first started one of the local jokesters called and said the water tower was on fire I started to believe him and almost paged the fire dept until I realised the water tower is metal and full of water.
hcsotc43 karma
We never charge anyone a fee for anything and if you mean criminal charges no not if its an accident. The one we made an arest on called 911 and said " f*ck the _________ county police you a$$holes" and then hung up.....he lived near the jail so it was a short trip to arrest him.
The_Sad_lonely_Life2 karma
I thought people got charged for calling 911. Because there was this same ama that said so. But, do you guys know where we are when we call, or do we need to say our address?
hcsotc43 karma
Most phone companies charge a small 911 tax, but we do not charge you. We do not have enhanced 911 capabilities so we do not know where you are calling from, but most dispatch centers do and can locate you to within feet of where you actually are.
hcsotc46 karma
Had an old woman who after the Chilean miner incident called the night they got out and said that there were Mexican men in her house. I sent the officer and he called later and told me that CNN was replaying the rescue and she woke up during it and thought the miners were robbers in her house.
EgonIsGod4 karma
Are you set up in the sheriff's office or do you have a facility of your own somewhere?
hcsotc44 karma
We have our dispatch center in 1/4 of the building the other 1/4 is the sheriff's office and secretary's office and the last half is the actual jail.
hcsotc43 karma
True...we do have security measures in place but probably not enough for a crazed gunmen.
misskitty50775 karma
That should be addressed. I know of a situation where dispatching was done in the department in a small town. Crazed man with a gun came in and took dispatch hostage. Officers individually came in to check why there was no radio traffic. They we then taken hostage. It was a little while before somebody with another realized there were so many police cars in the parking lot and the radio was dead and pieced together what happened. This was years ago but still a threat today with small departments who have 911 dispatch in house.
TaylorDangerTorres4 karma
How often do you get prank calls and what are you supposed to do about it?
hcsotc45 karma
Maybe 3-4 in my career and if we can ID them they get arrested for felony prank 911 calls. We have only caught 1 person so far.
hcsotc45 karma
Talk with friends who are mostly cops and dispatchers also and sometimes just replay it in my head to see if I could have done something different.
I am currently trying to become a police officer or career firefighter which ever comes first. If I had no choice i would be happy being a dispatcher.
hcsotc44 karma
Sorry did not see the last part of this question....I would be a firefighter because I have always wanted too and police officer because I see what the guys and gals I work with do and for the most part it is rewarding. I will be honest I would only stay dispatching if I could not do anything else or for 10 more years so I could retire with a full pension.
Kvetta3 karma
I'm not sure if this has been asked, but when someone calls in and they're completely panicked, what are some techniques that you've found that helps to calm them down?
Have you yourself ever panicked as a result of someone else panicking on the phone?
hcsotc43 karma
I listen until they quit talking and anything I need to know that they did not say I ask and then reassure them help is coming and give them any instructions that we have for them. Usually thats all it takes. I have never panicked to the point I could not do my job but some calls do get the adrenaline pumping and make you excited.
Kvetta3 karma
I can imagine so. I've had to call 911 before for drunk drivers and car accidents. I've always been able to kind of keep my cool depending on the severity of the accident. But every dispatcher I've always talked to has been cool and calm. It's nice to have someone "help the helpers."
hcsotc43 karma
It helps us help you the calmer you are but even when the caller is not calm we still have a job to do.
coke6663 karma
How does the Computer Aided Dispatch work? How do you prioritize the calls? How long does it take for Police to arrive to a emergency?
hcsotc42 karma
We do not have CAD we prioritize calls personally. Depending on how far they have to drive about 25 minutes from one end of the county to the other.
hcsotc42 karma
Its old.....its a zetron model 4118 console with a model 4115 console expander.
zookoala2 karma
I worked for a small city and that's how we did it but most counties around here are large. I liked doing it all but also think specializing in a certain aspect would be good.
hcsotc42 karma
I agree some of us get better info on calls than others and I think that could make a big difference if dispatcher a only takes calls and dispatcher b only transmits radio stuff.
zookoala2 karma
Agreed, I think jack of all, master of none is not great for that profession so a little speciality would be good. Especially at my place we did records, prisoner watch, lobby traffic, etc etc...
jrishaw2 karma
A couple questions..
- Does your office get NG-911 data? I'm curious what the 'most info' you could get when a mobile call comes in (GPS long/lat data, etc), and, if none, do you guys have the ability in some fashion to triangulate where someone is?
(I know you probably get tower info, like 'west side of tower x antenna' but has that improved any/will it be?)
hcsotc41 karma
We have no enhanced 911 capabilities at all we have basic 911 and caller ID boxes. We also have no way to triangulate phone calls or data.
raff872 karma
Recently, I remember a paramedic AMA were he mentioned that a lot of his calls were the same people over and over again. Do you find this the case as well?
hcsotc46 karma
We do, we have a saying that 90% of our problems are brought on by 10% of our community. LOL kinda sad i guess but its true.
lolzergrush2 karma
I don't think people in your line of work get thanked nearly enough for your service, but thank you.
Have you ever been on duty when an officer went down? If so did you feel like your training prepared yo ufor the emotion of it?
Semi-relevant personal story, feel free to skip: My cousin was a police officer killed in the line of duty; his sister was a dispatcher who was on duty at the time. After his death, to honor his memory she became an officer and now has a K-9 partner. The main function of the K-9 initiative in my (very rural) home county has been to quickly locate injured officers in the field. It was done after the realization that if our town's PD had a K-9 at the time, they may have reached my late cousin in time to save him. I think my county has over a dozen now. My dog is related to them but is unfit for service due to epilepsy, so he bravely patrols the dog park.
On a happier note, my cousin (the surviving one) also brings her partner around to all the elementary schools for demos. Apparently her German shepherd changes from vicious bite dog to cuddly-muffin when he's around children. :D
hcsotc42 karma
Sorry to hear about your cousin, RIP officer. Fortunately we have never had a LODD but I have been working twice when officers were injured enough to need ems and really both times were for me just like any other ems call except I knew them better and had a little more adrenaline pumping hoping everything ended OK.
lolzergrush2 karma
Glad to hear that no one was severely harmed in the line of duty.
On a lighter note, I just noticed you're in rural Illinois from the other comments. Ever had anyone call in to complain of being chased by a prop plane? :)
dispatcher_832 karma
Shameless plug, but OP feel free to come over to R/911dispatchers anytime!
jenny712 karma
I can only imagine the things you hear during 911calls as I work trauma lv1 and I see some really heartbreaking things every day
blingbait2 karma
Do you get more calls when it's a full moon? That may sound strange to some people....but when I worked at a hospital, it really happened that way. Or so it seemed to us.
KellyisGhost59 karma
What's the cutest thing a kid has called you for?
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