Dear Happy

Taken from LEO Affairs message board FPPD

((***Over all the dispatcher do a hell of a job. Yes sometimes they get put on the radio to soon and can't handle it. Sometimes some people just can’t cut it and it takes time to find this out. But the dispatcher is doing a job where they have to keep track of a number of Officers and what they are doing. I would not want to do that job and I thank you for what you are doing. My beef is with the dispatchers who feel that they are or have a god complex. You are not a boss, supervisor or leader. It is your job to give out information and directions. You K.P. are not going to tell us how to do the job. You are a very good dispatcher, one of the best. But your attitude makes it so we hate hearing you on the radio. We need you to dispatch not direct we know our job (well some of us) I know that you have to do one 10-4 check when were on a 10-50 wait I mean a traffic stop and that’s good. But most of the time you cover your required 10-4 check even before we get out of the car. We can then spend 30 minuets out on this stop and never get another 10-4 check. Ya'll need to space the 10-4 checks out little more. And try not to forget that we are out there.
Have a nice day. Love Ya!***))

I was a little puzzled when one of my co-workers showed me this post last night. I was a little hurt at first because I was not sure why I deserved a spot on this forum but after I thought about it I was pleased. I have never really thought of myself as a trouble maker and I don’t believe I am, but I do and will stand up for myself. I have a healthy dose of self respect and I have standards and morals. I have a bad habit of telling the truth and expecting the others around me to do the same. I will stand up for the truth because sometimes that is all we have. I still don’t know why my name was brought up unless I pissed somebody off and I do that on a daily basis so join the club. I have to admit that it takes a person with big balls especially one who obviously dislikes me to commend me for being a good dispatcher if not one of the best. It made my day and I thank you Happy for saying so. It is not too often officers tell their dispatchers they are doing a good job and we do appreciate it when we hear it.

However I have to comment on the God complex, I am not God nor do I expect to become a God anytime soon. I like to think of myself more like a mom protecting her family. When I am working the radio and that could be any radio at 911, the officers and deputies on duty are my responsibility. I make sure they are well cared for by checking on them regularly, making sure they have back ups, relaying correct information as quickly as possible and knowing where they are at all times. I am not perfect but I do aspire to be the best at what I do, I hold myself to a higher standard and I try to be a good role model for other dispatchers. I am a leader and a supervisor at 911, and because my job demands that I make snap decisions that will affect those I am responsible for on my radio then sometimes that does make me the boss. Most of the sergeants and lieutenants that I work with regardless off jurisdiction trust me and know that I will do what is best for that situation. I know that I am not popular and I know I have an attitude sometimes but I don’t usually give officers an attitude unless I’ve been on the receiving end first and just like a Mother I have no problems correcting inappropriate behavior and B.S. this includes being rude and telling the dispatcher how to do her job when she’s already done it.

My job is much more complicated then just giving out information and directions and any officer that believes that is an idiot, yes I said it an Idiot. I am not here to be your friend or to coddle you. I try to treat everyone as fairly as possible. I have no favorites but there are a few I like better than others. I am not here to put up with your bull shit nor will I tolerate it. I am not intimidated easily and I am not afraid to go toe to toe. My main job as an LEO dispatcher is to make sure that everyone goes home at the end of the shift healthy and no more worse for wear than when they started. I stress myself out worrying about making the one stupid mistake that will inevitably get someone hurt. I am more critical of myself than any of you could ever be on me. This is what makes a good dispatcher and I will continue to be a leader/boss/supervisor regardless of what people post on that forum.

As far as the 1004 checks go, 911 SOP is 3minutes from inception of traffic stop or arrival to an in progress call or suspicious person/vehicle ect. After that it is 10 to 15 minutes than again at 30 if the dispatcher is not sure what that officer has especially if he is alone. Now if an officer was on records running FCIC I know that the officer is busy and will generally wait a little longer to check on them and then there are the times when it is just so busy it is not hard to overlook a 1004 check. Just to let all the officers know I have heard some of the complaints and I have been trying hard to make sure they are addressed. I am trying to make sure that officer safety on the radios and that is all the radios at 911 are the first priority. Some where along the line the departments have lost our respect and for those of us who care we are trying hard to remedy that. I would be more than happy to hear any complaints officers might have to help 911 better prepare and train its dispatchers. My email address is available here on my Blog site.

Just remember we have good people that work at 911 and most at least like what they are doing. It is first of all hard to find decent people to even interview and once we get them in the center at least half if not more fail to make the cut. Dispatching and complaint taking is hard and stressful work. Once upon a time 911 was for emergencies now it has become a catch all for the most mundane of complaints. We are expected to know everything and then patiently be verbally abused by the public, unfortunately some officers can act the same way and many times act worse. I not saying that dispatchers are saints we all have our bad days but officers usually only have to deal with 2 dispatchers their main and records. Dispatchers have to put up with a multitude of different personalities all day and it usually only takes one asshole to screw it up.

Please don’t be offended by what I post here most of the officers I work with are hardworking men and women who do there job without complaint and are a pleasure to work with even under the most difficult of circumstances. All you have to do is read some of the post at Leo Affairs to see that the officers with the most outlandish complaints are the ones that are causing most of the problems. I know the department has its issues. The lack of morality and honesty seems to be the biggest complaint but unfortunately no matter how many rules are written regarding ethics if there is not a strong leader setting the example then you end up with what FPPD has become.

I try very hard to maintain a professional radio and anybody that has worked with me knows that when I am working I expect the best and I usually get it.