The blog of a 911 dispatcher

Back in 2011 I worked at an answering service on the central coast of California. I remember taking calls from law enforcement dispatchers and thinking, “how DO you become a 911 dispatcher?”. I looked into what it took but never gave it a shot until 2016 when I started filling out and submitting applications. I have many family members who have worked in law enforcement, fire or the military, so my dreams to be a part of that were embedded in me since I was young. It was a badge of honor to finally apply and be accepted into the law enforcement family in 2017.

When I applied, I had to go through testing, applications, background investigation and a psychological test. It took an entire year to get hired for my dream department in California. When I finally got the call that I had passed, and I was going to start training as a 911 Dispatcher, I cried. It was my dream for so many years. I couldn’t believe I had landed the career of my dreams. Little did I know at the time what trials I would face, not only with a sexual assault while I was on duty but many other calls and stresses that came with this type of career.

Training was hard. Harder than I could have imagined. This type of job is not quick to learn. I was told that I was a natural at it but I didn’t feel that way. I went home almost every day of training with migraines and tears in my eyes. I thought I would never understand the computer systems and all the policies and the tremendous weight of what it actually meant to be a 911 Dispatcher. The general public has a very small glimpse into what 911 Dispatchers actually do. From the time an emergency happens to the end of the call to the after math. There are so many endless things that occur before, during and after those incidents. I will have to write other posts just about some of the calls I have had and what dispatchers actually do.

In this blog I will make posts about the calls, the people, the department and the betrayal. I have held it inside for years and just want to have a voice. To say what I want, to say how I feel and hopefully help other dispatchers who quietly suffer or hide horrible things that have happened to them.