Cell Phones in the Center

I'm wondering if your center allows dispatchers and operators to use their personal cell phones in the communications center? Our center allows their employees to use them, and many, many times the road officers have the dispatcher's personal cell numbers and call them directly to get/give information to the dispatcher. A few years back, one of our dispatchers took information from an officer who called her to give her his perimeter point on an armed robbery call. He said he didn't want to go over the air with this information, so he called the dispatcher directly. She put him out at that location, but no one else knew he was there. He ended up needing a back-up and the other officers didn't know he was out on a point. I think that this is an officer safety issue. Also, I think that the officers use this means of communication to circumvent the taped phone lines/radio transmissions.

Our manager says that letting the dispatchers use their cell phones keeps their personal calls off the taped lines, and continues to allow this to happen even though our policy states that cell phones are not to be used in the center. We are not allowed to dispatch calls or give call information from any radio channel other than the main one (which is taped), yet many times I see dispatchers giving officers information from their personal cell. I see this, too, as not only a safety issue, but a liability issue, too. If something happens and the incident ends up in court, there is no official record of what transpired and the dispatcher/officer could get jammed up. I've been around a long time, and know that this can happen.

Recorded transmissions can save a dispatcher's butt if he/she is doing the job properly. I think that the less experienced dispatchers don't think about this issue, and like being available to the officers on their cell phones as it makes them "chummier" with the guys.

I'm just looking for some intelligent feedback to this. Thanks.

[Lazlo Hollyfield]

Sounds like my center. What city do you work for?

Cell Phone use in the Com Center. Have you been sneaking around my agency ? It's a thorn in my side if you ask me. I will give you my veiws on it in a nutshell. As long as it does not interfer with you doing your job or the safety of the officers. So be it. I have spent almost 8 years in the Com Center and I am confident in my abilty to multi-task. Isn't that what we do ? The ability to preform under stress and deal with mulitple incidents all over the city ? If you ask me that is what we do. That being said officer safety is our main concern. Any dispatcher who takes points over a cell phone is a moron. I won't do anything that I don't want everybody else to hear. God forbid that officer got hurt and the only person who knew about it was you because you placed them out there without the rest of the units knowledge. I have been a supervisor for just over a year now and I think my shift respects me because I treat them like the adults that they are. If you want to bring your labtop, Ipod, PSP or anything else to pass the time so be it. Just do your job ! Don't forget what you are trained to do. Any employee who gets to engrossed in another activity and misses something over the air has no business being in the center in the first place. All I ask from my people is do their job the best they can and don't lie to me. I will never throw one of my people under the bus for doing their job. My staff knows this that when s**t rolls down hill it always falls on me. I think any supervisor who throws their stuff to the wolves is a sad excuse for a supervisor. Whatever faults your shift has is your faults. If they did something wrong it's your fault for not making sure they did their job. Protect your people and leave the back stabbing for the admin types down the hall.

I used to work for an agency that expected us to multi-task up a storm, but even though we could make critical decisions, make calls and dispatch at the same time, we weren't able to use cell phones because they may distract us.

Oh, and we can determine priority and be in charge of officer safety, but we weren't responsible enough to have control of our centers thermostat.. LOL

Sounds like my center. What city do you work for?

Yours.

[Lazlo Hollyfield]

[quote="Lazlo Hollyfield":2zfwnq96]Sounds like my center. What city do you work for?

Yours.[/quote:2zfwnq96]

Hmmmm...that sounds ominous. How do you know what city I work for? Do I have a cyber stalker?

[quote="Olde Timer":3w1fazid][quote="Lazlo Hollyfield":3w1fazid]Sounds like my center. What city do you work for?

Yours.[/quote:3w1fazid]

Hmmmm...that sounds ominous. How do you know what city I work for? Do I have a cyber stalker?[/quote:3w1fazid]

Maybe. :twisted:

What center do you work for ? Don't stalk me ! No I don't want to wear your pajamas look at the size of him, and he thinks I can fit in them. Forty points higher on his test. See that's the importance of a college education. Stay in school and you want pin your hopes on winning the Frito Lay sweepstakes and living in the basement

What center do you work for ? Don't stalk me ! No I don't want to wear your pajamas look at the size of him, and he thinks I can fit in them. Forty points higher on his test. See that's the importance of a college education. Stay in school and you want pin your hopes on winning the Frito Lay sweepstakes and living in the basement

It must be the "Real Genius" in you that keeps you coming back with these posts that make no sense. :D

[Lazlo Hollyfield]

Well d@mn, I guess you figured out the movie...gee whiz, now I guess me and chris are gonna have to find another obscure one to use. Well, I've got a pretty good idea as to who you are so I'm not too worried about being stalked.

Well d@mn, I guess you figured out the movie...gee whiz, now I guess me and chris are gonna have to find another obscure one to use. Well, I've got a pretty good idea as to who you are so I'm not too worried about being stalked.

I asked a question to all in this board, yet for some reason you think I know who you are, and that I work for your agency. It is not important where I work, but I'll tell you that I work in the Orlando area.

Cell Phone use in the Com Center. Have you been sneaking around my agency ? It's a thorn in my side if you ask me. I will give you my veiws on it in a nutshell. As long as it does not interfer with you doing your job or the safety of the officers. So be it. I have spent almost 8 years in the Com Center and I am confident in my abilty to multi-task. Isn't that what we do ? The ability to preform under stress and deal with mulitple incidents all over the city ? If you ask me that is what we do. That being said officer safety is our main concern. Any dispatcher who takes points over a cell phone is a moron. I won't do anything that I don't want everybody else to hear. God forbid that officer got hurt and the only person who knew about it was you because you placed them out there without the rest of the units knowledge. I have been a supervisor for just over a year now and I think my shift respects me because I treat them like the adults that they are. If you want to bring your labtop, Ipod, PSP or anything else to pass the time so be it. Just do your job ! Don't forget what you are trained to do. Any employee who gets to engrossed in another activity and misses something over the air has no business being in the center in the first place. All I ask from my people is do their job the best they can and don't lie to me. I will never throw one of my people under the bus for doing their job. My staff knows this that when s**t rolls down hill it always falls on me. I think any supervisor who throws their stuff to the wolves is a sad excuse for a supervisor. Whatever faults your shift has is your faults. If they did something wrong it's your fault for not making sure they did their job. Protect your people and leave the back stabbing for the admin types down the hall.

Chris Knight??? Are you the Colonel of FHP that got fired?

Nope ! I do not look good in brown with a Smokey the Bear Hat

our Comm center has a strict policy on the use of cellphones, ipods, laptops, personal phone calls and even reading.

The question was about usuage of cellphones....we are not suppose to even have them on while on the floor...nope not even vibrate. However, we know how that one goes.

Infact, there was an issue one time when a co-worker saw that her son who is overseas in Iraq was attempting to contact her. She picked up the phone and one of the Supervisors started yelling at her to hang the phone up. Needless to say the Mother did not. THere are various circumstances that should be allowed. Yes, the Mother, from what I was told went to speak directly to our Admin.

There has been times that a school has called in to speak to the parent that was "on duty" and the supervisor would not allow them to pick up the phone. Once again an issue that should not have occured

as far a a unit calling directly to the dispatcher giving her directives about a call............wrong.................