NCJ Number
122556
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1990) Pages: 19,21-23
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The use of civilian dispatchers is preferred by many police departments in order to save money and make more police officers available to patrol the streets.
Abstract
Police departments, however, should not hire civilian dispatchers only to save money; the safety of police officers should not be compromised. Surveys indicate that most police departments do not feel civilian dispatchers negatively impact the safety of police officers, although some departments report that police officers are better dispatchers because civilians are not always able to handle highly tense situations. Civilian dispatcher training should require that dispatchers ride along with patrol officers, but dispatcher training should be comprehensive and include formal as well as on-the-job instruction. Areas of required training, ability, and knowledge for dispatchers are intermixed with, but different than, those of commissioned police officers. The trend toward using civilian dispatchers, coupled with technology developments and the demand for police services, will likely escalate.