Wednesday, December 12, 2001
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Wednesday, December 12, 2001 |
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Emergency! Fayette's dispatchers are helping long before fire/EMS, officers arrive By JOHN
MUNFORD
Everybody knows to dial 911 for help in an emergency situation. But few people know of the frenetic environment local emergency dispatchers handle with a clear voice and cool head day in and day out. On a recent Friday afternoon, dispatchers handled a variety of calls ranging from docile to hostile ... often in a matter of minutes. After establishing the situation from the caller and summoning the appropriate agencies to the scene, the dispatchers become investigators seeking the description of any suspects, the number of people injured and other details that can make the job of the responding officer much easier ... and safer. A tipster that Friday morning called 911 to notify authorities about a man with outstanding warrants who was at a local residence. Speaking in a hushed tone, the caller advised the dispatcher to send more than one officer. As Fayetteville police officers arrived, the suspect bolted off into the woods. Dispatcher Michelle Brown tracked the chase, repeating the officers' location constantly so officers on the way were aware of the situation. After the man fled, Brown stayed on the line to find out what the suspect was wearing while dispatcher Eureka Franklin alerted the Sheriff's Department, which eventually was called on to provide support with its K-9 unit. The work eventually paid off as officers located their man and placed him in custody. Not every call is nearly as exciting. Often times, the dispatchers must calm frantic callers, like the Fayetteville woman whose child was locked in a car Friday afternoon. "No ma'am, they are not going to lock you up," Cathy Crenshaw assured the caller, who was worried about being arrested for her oversight. Each dispatcher is surrounded by at least three computer screens, which provide a variety of important information in a matter of seconds. The location of the caller pops up on one screen while the computer recommends which officer to send to the call based on that location. If all officers in a particular area are busy, dispatchers contact a supervisor who will determine which officer to send, said Cheryl Rogers, director of the E-911 center. Dispatchers also use the computers to perform instant criminal background checks for officers in the field. Computers also route the radio communications to each operator, and each computer station can be specially modified to listen in on any number of channels. Because all the dispatchers are in one room, it's easy for them to communicate when necessary, particularly when assistance is needed from other police agencies in Fayette County. For instance, Friday afternoon Fayetteville police and Fayette County sheriff's deputies combined to nab a couple suspected of stealing a pair of shoes from the Shoe Carnival at the Fayette Pavilion. Descriptions of the suspects were obtained by dispatchers who relayed the information to responding officers. The suspects' vehicle was stopped minutes later another arrest secured with help from the folks on the other end of the phone line: Fayette's 911 dispatchers.
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