Dispatchers
link police
and public

Aena Maria D'Angelo

News Reporter
dangelo@nsnews.com

LOUISE Ball is on the
phone 12 hours
Straight a day.

Ball is one of 16 full-time
police dispatchers and 9-1-1
operators who work at the
North Vancouver. RCMP
detachment.

“I don’t think it’s a job for
everyone. You have to have
the personality,” said Ball, 36.

All the full-time police dis-
atchers in North Vancouver
appen to be women. There

are'also 20 auxiliary or part-.
time police dispatchers that
include two men... 4

‘Telecommunications J
“supervisor at the’detachment .

Paul Dixon: said - 250,000 | -
phone calls were logged last

“year, 20,000 of which were 9- © f

l-lcalls. |. "
.: Five police . dispatchers
work the phones each shift in
a. jlarge'- westerly widowed:
room on the second floor of!
the Mountie detachment building at. 147 East 14th St.

~-Dixon explained that the. telecommunications service in
North Vancouver is a “downstream agency”

‘The operator that firsts answers ‘the 9-1-1 call works in.

Vancouver at the’E-Comm office. The E-Comm operator asks
“police, fire or ambulance.” E-Comm already knows the address
through ‘telephone technology. If Police are needed in North
Vancouver, the calleris linked to the North Vancouver RCMP

: telecommunications centre. “These are almost invisible jobs. You

don’t sce them as people and you think of them as just voices at
the other end of the line,” said Dixon. ae :

'. Dixon’ pointed ‘out: that almost all the dispatchers live in
‘North Vancouver. In many towns that is not the case. Currently,
E-Comm. police dispatchers in: Vancouver are. directing and
assisting RCMP in Whistler, UBC, Highway Patrol and Sunshine
Coast as well as Vancouver City Police: ;

‘North Vancouver RCMP Const. Heidi Hoffman said that the
advantage of dispatchers living and working in the community
cafi be vividly demonstrated when ‘it-comes to obscure locales
needing police. . . a we ‘

“We are.so lucky when someone phones in and. describes
knows where it is,”. said Hoffman.

“Dixon said there.are shortages of police dispatchers aczoss

North America right now. He said onc. in 100 people have the

nality and likes the shifts involved in police dispatch work.

In: North: Vancouver, :the dispatchers are unionized -and are

municipal employces. A senior dispatcher makes $42,000 a ycar
in the Vancouver area. a

’ Dixon said.the 9-1-1: system has translators available in about
-.180 lan; es, The caller must be able to say their language in
English be re a dispatcher can link to a translator.

.» Ona given shift in-North Vancouver, two dispatchers work
directing and assisting police officers on patrol. Dispatchers will:
- Bi check driver's licences on the computer; 7
@ check whetheF a car is insured or reported stolen;
@ took in the police's computer for a person’s criminal history,
int or court orders limiting a person’s freedom...
¢ police dispatchers also do computer checks for the police

afte

jomething like the bash behind a tunnel and the dispatcher.

officers working in the office (carpet cops). The other dispatch-
ers take 9-1-1 calls and non-emergency complaints that go
through 985-1311.

Bali has been a dispatcher for nine years. She was a manager
in a consultant firm. when she applied for an administrative civil-
ian job at the North Vancouver RCMP. Ball didn’t get the
administrative position, but found out that she scored high in the
ability to be a police dispatcher.

She said the job can be both exciting and boring.

“You can go from zero to 60 in seconds and then back to
zero again,” said Ball. a

Ball enjoys working with the police officers and “loves the
pressure” situations.

“You have to pull from all different parts of you if you are
dealing with kids, if you are dealing with mothers, if you have to

. get someone to talk or ifyou are dealing with a victim,” said Ball.

She said a dispatcher has to keep all the information in check
and focus on getting the job done. Police officer safety is para-
mount. ; .

She works two day shifts, two night shifts and then four days
off. She works with the same group of police officers all the time.

Ball says 9-1- callers have included:

B a person wanting to know how to cook a turkey;
@ onc of two kids fighting who threatencd to call the police and
did. The chik! hung up. Police were sent as the dispatcher heard

"the screaming siblings. It turned out big brother was picking on

little sister;

@ a little girl was concerned that she hed done something bad.

The. child’s mother had yelled at her after the television was

turned up. The youngster was sent to her room.
“An emergency is relative to who you are and to her that was
an emergency,” said Ball.
’ Other calls include car accidents, violence such a4 stabbings

-and domestic assaults as well as teens drinking in parks.

Leeanne Keily has been a dispatcher for seven years, She was
taking broadcasting education in Vancouver when a friend who

was an ambulance. paramedic suggested she look at ambulance -
' dispatch work. :

“Pretty much Fred and Kathy had the market that I wanted

t’s never wrong

|» MANY people debate whether to report an inci- ©

dent or suspicious activity to the police, thinking:

3 that their suspicion may be considered silly or

trivial or that the police have better things.to do. :

The fact is, police rely heavily on information from: citizens
to do their job. Your call to the police is one of the most effi-

-. cient means of preventing crime.

The following are just a few activities which could be report-

- ed to the police:
. MB suspicious vehicles may indicate a burglar “casing” a house for

a break and enter. The suspect could also possibly be a drug

* pusher, kidnapper or sex offender. The vehicle may be driving
slowly and repetitively along your street or possibly be parked
-and occupied at late hours; ee .

- {2 vehicles being loaded with valuables, An abandoned automo-
-bile may be a stolen car and persons taking parts off a vehicle at *

Sunday, December 5, 1999 - North Shore News - 3

SUNDAY Focus ==

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

NORTH Vancouver RCMP dispatchers have phone and computer information at their fingertips while assist-
ing and directing police in emergencies.

to be in for morning shows,”

laughed Kelly about her job ©

prospects in broadcasting.
he Vancouver resident
took a. college course | for
police, fire and ambulance dis-
patch. Kelly had two job offers
fore she finished the course.
She took the North Vancouver
post. ;

She is not a fan of 12-hour:

shift’ work, . especiaily. the
nights.

Kelly said 3 dispatcher

needs to handle pressure, be

able to take control of « situa-
tion and be able to diffuse a
situation very quickly. “You
have a matter of seconds some-

times. You give people leeway.

because they are in an emer-

AN emergency is any
serious situation where 2
police officer, fire fighter,
or emergency medical
help is needed right away.
The North
Vancouver RCMP have
outlined the following
emergency and non-
emergency situations.
Emergency
Call 9-1-1
fire;
@ crime in progress;
§ breathing problems;
B choking; ;
B unconsciousness;
B poisoning;
@ drowning;
M stabbing;
 ocher life-chreatcning
situations.

Non-emergency

Call 985-1311
& minor cccidents (no
injuries};
@ barking dogs;
burglarized prope:
® power outage during a
storm; :
someone
drugs;
8 loud parties; .

* @ weather and read con-

ditions; o
B keys locked in vehicle;
@ runaways.- ;

selling :

. “If anyone is wonder-*
ing about calling;9-1-1
or police then. they.
should cali 9-1-1 or the’
police," said Paul Dixon,

orth ~. . Vancouver
telecommunications
supervisor at the’ RCMP.
detachment. « a

gency situation and not everybody is going to. be rational.”
Kelly said. when 9-1-1 operators ask questions it is to get:

important information. “Their answers wi

vice,” said Kelly.

| provide better ser-

Callers shoilld not hang up. Kelly said the dispatchers want:
descriptions of people from “head to. toe,” car information suc!

as two-door or four-duor, colour,

vehicle is a van or truck.

licence plate.and whether the.

Dispatchers emphasize that there are a limited number ve:
1:1 lines and those lines shoui¢ not be blocked with noi

gency reports.

Kelly said with the recent hore: invasions aimed ‘a
many local seniors called 9-1-1 when they heard foises
homes. “It’s great te know that we get there, clear the ho’
it’s fine. You know you've helped them,” said Kelly."

“Everyday is different that is for sure.“At the end Gf-most
days, it’s pretty rewarding because you've helped,” said Kelly.

Contact Paul Dixon at 990-7498 for more j

nde

informustic

from a certain residence, especially late at night; may. indic
some sort of illegal activity such as drug trafficking going on
&@ unusual noises, such as gunshots, screaming, arguing OF fi

: in should ‘be reported: tmmediatel thi