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Wednesday, March 3, 2021

The 911 Dispatcher

     Since the introduction of the 911 system beginning in 1968 and extending through the 1970s, the dispatcher has become more important than ever. Although 911 has been a lifesaver, the system is abused perhaps as frequently as it is used properly. The dispatcher must filter through the information and properly assess urgency in an emergency context in which everything seems equally urgent.

     The dispatcher's job is to determine who, what, where, when, and how the emergency has happened. In the case of a crime, the dispatcher must also determine if the perpetrators are still present, where they went, how many of them are there, and what they were wearing, and whether they are armed. Often, it is up to the dispatcher to calm a desperate or injured victim, or the child who has found a parent severely injured, sick--or worse.

Alex Axelrod and Guy Antinozzi, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Criminal Investigation, 2003

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