The people who answer 911 calls and handle emergency radio operations are often the first point of contact for the public in an emergency, but these professionals are an overlooked element of public safety. A report on public safety communications personnel looked at how their professional discretion and standard 911 protocols impact the criminal justice system by influencing what services people access and how responding officers approach a situation.
The report illuminates the pressures and importance of the job, with a focus on three communities in the Safety and Justice Challenge: Charleston County, South Carolina; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; and St. Louis County, Missouri. When 911 receives a call, operators need to quickly gather key information, interpret the situation, and determine needs for dispatching emergency response. They need skills to assist people in extreme situations and collect key information from callers who are scared, angry, frustrated, or even “experiencing the worst day of their life.”
