Guest guest Posted July 7, 2000 Report Share Posted July 7, 2000 At 10:16 AM 07/06/2000 -0400, you wrote: >It's good when they have an emergency... It's bad when they >want to know what time the 9:15 train leaves. Or, like the guy who called me about an hour ago, when they want to know what their cell phone number is. And, he called from his HOME PHONE to ask me this. Then he got mad when I said I'd be sending the police out to verify that he didn't have an emergency (our policy). Luckily, the officer I sent was able to 'splain things to him... Guthrie Communications Officer Trotwood, OH PD http://www.trotwood.org/police Home: mailto:cwguth@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2000 Report Share Posted July 7, 2000 >Then he got mad when I said I'd be sending the police out to verify that he didn't have an emergency (our policy). Luckily, the officer I sent was able to 'splain things to him...< I don't understand this.. I know it's many departments policy... but I don't get it. It seems like a terrible waste of everyone's time to me. The dispatchers time.. the officers time.. and the complainants. You're talking to the guy, you know he's ok.. He's just got his head up his butt.. and called 9-1 for something stupid. Why do you have to send the officer? 'Spleen it to me.... Weintraut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2000 Report Share Posted July 7, 2000 >that some depts will send a unit to make sure I am really a dork after I have admitted being a dork on the phone? < Yep.. they sure do.. and I really don't understand it. Weintraut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2000 Report Share Posted July 7, 2000 >> you still put the call in and send. << I apologize for missing or misunderstanding something. If I call 911 in error while calling overseas or paging someone, that some depts will send a unit to make sure I am really a dork after I have admitted being a dork on the phone? (yes, I know, the " misdial " could be on purpose). Bob in Tacoma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2000 Report Share Posted July 7, 2000 I can come up with one reason that a trainer I had from Medical Priority was real good about explaining: You may get 10 calls a week from someone who wants the number for another PD, or a taxi, or something to that effect. But what if you get that one call where the person asks you to send them a taxi? and you get pissed and tell them its not a matter for 911 or something to that effect. But what if that person has someone in the room with them and can't say anything else? I heard a demo tape once of a woman who had a gun to her head: dialed 911 and tried to order a pizza. the dispatcher was smart enough to clue in to the fact that something else was going on. But i digress. A good reason to check every 911 mis call or 911 hangup with an officer visit can be for the 1 in 1000 time when something was really going on but the person was not free to tell you exactly what. Now my department doesn't do this - its dispatch's discretion to call back and see what the explanation is about the miscall (if a hangup) or for the caller who asks for a phone number, etc. to use their judgement about what might be going on. For me? I'd rather a steadfast policy of checking on every call. Takes the liability off of me as the dispatcher to make these judgement calls. And for those of us who work with at times :::CLUELESS::: dispatchers (we all have them! Admit it!) eliminates the bigger possibility of mistake.... My two cents. crawling back into my hole. diane ----- >Then he got mad when I said I'd be sending the police out to verify that he didn't have an emergency (our policy). Luckily, the officer I sent was able to 'splain things to him...< I don't understand this.. I know it's many departments policy... but I don't get it. It seems like a terrible waste of everyone's time to me. The dispatchers time.. the officers time.. and the complainants. You're talking to the guy, you know he's ok.. He's just got his head up his butt.. and called 9-1 for something stupid. Why do you have to send the officer? 'Spleen it to me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2000 Report Share Posted July 7, 2000 In a message dated 07/07/2000 2:03:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, COURNOYERB@... writes: << I apologize for missing or misunderstanding something. If I call 911 in error while calling overseas or paging someone, that some depts will send a unit to make sure I am really a dork after I have admitted being a dork on the phone? (yes, I know, the " misdial " could be on purpose). >> Our policy is that its pretty much up to the dispatcher. If we call you back and you tell us that you were calling overseas or paging someone and you are sincere we will just confirm the info on our screen and let it go at that. If, however, we call and you play dumb (I wasn't using the phone, etc) or we hear noise in the background and you tell us you are alone. Or if you sound the least bit nervous or uncertain then we will send someone...actually we send 2 someones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2000 Report Share Posted July 7, 2000 You are so correct on this one....great example happened the other day... Had an elderly lady call on 911 and stated that she needed help getting her husband into bed...We were...uhhhhh...really busy...but I could tell something else was up...(can't explain it...you seasoned ones know what I mean)...anyways...seeing that she was in a small pd district...(I shuddered at the fact of having to tone out a squad for a public assist...ie;more work for me...) I remembered my true reason for being in the chair I was in...and questioned her further.....well...seems that the true reason that she needed the extra help was because " she thought maybe he had a stroke " ... I questioned her further...do you mean like today...? Something that has not been looked into yet by a doctor?...Yep...that is what she meant.....Soooooooo...out went the squad... Just goes to show that what they ask for and what they really want can be two different things...It only took me about another thirty seconds to question her further...Saved time and maybe a life down the road. Weird...our jobs sometimes. Back to peering into the ole crystal ball......;-) Cin in good ole Ohio happy day, be safe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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