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Telling Your Officers Where to Go and How to Get There

NCJ Number
227060
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 10,12,16
Author(s)
Carole Moore
Date Published
May 2009
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article provides guidance to dispatch supervisors on how to manage dispatchers so that their work environments promote good mental and physical health as well as efficient and effective work performance.
Abstract
Dispatch supervisors must earn and keep a dispatcher’s trust by understanding the technology and protocol of the system as well as the pressures and complexities of the dispatcher’s responsibilities. This requires that supervisors be available throughout the shift to provide advice and instruction regarding individual calls and the circumstances of the work environment. In order to facilitate stress management and a positive social environment for the workplace, supervisors should establish a peer support group for the communications center, so employees will have a nonthreatening, professional way to deal with stress. Further, the superviser should establish a triage standard in which the dispatcher asks scripted questions, giving callers consistency in how each call is approached. This ensures the quality of each dispatcher’s response. Supervisors should audit calls regularly in order to provide immediate feedback to the dispatchers. In creating a healthy work environment for dispatchers, supervisors should ensure that healthy foods are readily available, along with convenient exercise opportunities.