Law Dispatcher

When a person dies, it becomes necessary for law enforcement to become involved when a doctor is not in attendance. Law enforcement involvement suggests to some that there was some kind of foul play resulting in death which is not necessarily true. In fact, the reason for law enforcement involvement is to rule out such an incident. A LEO (law enforcement officer) will arrive on the scene of the death and will first ascertain as to supposed cause, time and method of the death along with the name of the deceased. If family is not present, he will then seek to contact them. Finding the next of kin can sometimes be a real challenge, especially if they don’t live nearby. Usually the LEO will search the residence to find clues as to who the next of kin may be.

The LEO will also check the body of the deceased for signs of foul play. This will include rolling the body over to insure all areas have been checked.

Once there is confirmation of no foul play and the death seems to be of natural causes, the LEO will contact the deceased’s doctor to inform them of the death and ascertain whether the death was expected. Should the death have been an expected outcome, the LEO will ask if the doctor will sign the death certificate. If the doctor agrees to sign, the body can be released to the funeral home of the family’s choosing. If the death was unexpected or the doctor refuses to sign the death certificate, the body must then be placed into the care of the coroner. The LEO should be willing to assist the family in contacting the immediate family and arranging for the disposition of the body. The LEO should fill out a full report on the death to be sent to the records office.

Death of a loved one is not a pleasant experience but the stress of it can be relieved if there has been a will, trust and/or funeral arrangements made ahead of time.

Death that occurs in a hospital, under hospice care or attended by a doctor will not need to have law enforcement involvement as these are expected deaths and are under a physicians care.

Should you find yourself involved in a “death” situation, please feel free to ask the officer that responds any questions. They are there for you and can often offer help and other resources to assist you through this difficult time.

The upcoming topic is on death and how it is handled in the dispatch and law enforcement fields. It’s not a well-talked about topic and because of that, not many people know exactly what transpires when a loved one passes away. It is a well known fact that “It is appointed unto man once to die…” and as such it should be a topic that one should be informed about prior to that occasion. Uncomfortable as it may be, it would do each of us well to understand the process now so that when the time comes to be part of the process, it’s not such a shock.

During my training period as a 911 operator, I received a 911 call from a gentleman whose voice was quivering and obviously he was upset. After issuing him some calming words, he proceeded to tell me that he had just found his 21 year old daughter dead. This was my first death call that I can remember. As I obtained the address and his phone number, my computer locked up and my system eventually crashed. Being new to the job, I was unsure of how to proceed and my trainer was panicking due to the crash of the computer. The trainers advice: “Keep him talking.” Ugh! About what? As a trainee I did my best but this was a very uncomfortable situation. The caller had no idea that my computer was malfunctioning and he felt that I was occupying his time that he could better be using by calling his wife and informing her of the tragedy. Eventually, we got the computer functioning again and was able to send help to him, but I shall never forget his voice and that sorrow that it contained. Of course, I never found out the real cause of death but he had informed me that she did have a medical problem but nothing that would seem severe enough to cause death. It was such a shock to him and the nature in which he found the body suggested that there was no foul play.

Death calls are tricky for operators. While such a call should be handled with concern and compassion, it is often left up to the operator to try and determine if it certain death or if further action should be taken to try and preserve life. Obviously, if it is an expected death or the victim is elderly, it’s not quite as difficult for the operator to make that determination. However, when calls come in for children (especially babies), it can be almost impossible to gain the information necessary to send help much less issue instructions on how to proceed. In further postings, I will try to explain the role of law and paramedics when it comes to death or cardiac arrest calls. This can be a complex topic and it will need several postings to cover it correctly.

Should you find yourself in a situation of attending to someone who has died or is experiencing cardiac arrest, please do not hesitate to contact 911 immediately. It is a valid 911 call.

It’s a nightmare when you’ve been in a vehicle accident and it’s even worse when it’s a hit and run. Yes, they do happen unfortunately. Here’s what you need to do. First, try to copy down the tag number of the driver who left the scene. Getting it copied down correctly is going to be a huge help to the law enforcement official who investigates the accident. On rare occasions we have been able to figure out the correct tag number when it’s been copied down incorrectly but that takes a lot of time and effort. Make sure you also make note of the following: date, time, location, the direction of travel that the driver left in and what type and color of vehicle were they driving. Also guesstimate where the damage would be on their vehicle. You need to stay at the scene of the accident and contact your local law enforcement. They will respond to you at that location. Give them the information and they will issue you a case number. Your insurance company will want that case number.

Make sure that when you contact your local law enforcement agency that you know the following basic information: your location, your phone number, what kind and color of vehicle you are driving, is there any road blockage, any injuries, anyone ejected from the vehicle or trapped inside, is there any hazardous materials involved, is your vehicle leaking any fluids, do you see any smoke or flames.

All this information is vitally important for responders and dispatchers to insure that the correct response has been sent. Remember, a vehicle crash with injuries does qualify as a valid 911 call.

There are few crimes that society seems to gloss over unless they themselves become the victims and then they shout foul from the mountain tops. Drinking while driving seems to be one of those crimes that our society has “tolerated” unfortunately. The arrest rate for drunk driving is on the increase and yet, most people don’t seem to get the message that it is absolutely inexcusable behavior. Ruined lives result because someone didn’t want to take responsibility for their behavior.

If you come across a driver who seems to be impaired, please keep your distance. Should you feel the need to report it, please be aware that you will be asked the following questions: What is that impaired driver doing to cause you to think they are impaired? What kind and color of vehicle are they driving? Do you know the tag? What direction are they traveling? Are you going to continue to follow? What kind of vehicle are you driving? What is your exact location now?

Impaired drivers are not only drunk drivers. They can also be drugged drivers. Prescription, OTC drugs, illicit drugs and certain medical conditions can trigger reckless driving. Be both on the offensive and defensive when driving.

Stay safe.

Each call that a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) responds to has the potential to be deadly.  The unknown is the worst enemy.  As a 911 calltaker, we are trained to listen to the caller, determine within a few brief seconds what to code the call and proceed to answer the appropriate questions that are attached to that code.  One of the first questions will be “Does anyone have any weapons?”  It’s an important question that can save an officer’s life and potentially any other first responder.  If the question has a positive response, the next question should be “What kind of weapon is it…a gun or knife…”  Weapons come in all forms.  I entertained calls where vehicles were used as the weapon.  It is important for the LEO to know what he’s up against.  Arriving on scene to granny holding Billy Bob at gun point is going to cause the officer to draw his weapon on granny until he determines that he and Billy Bob are no longer in danger from the deranged granny.  Even if granny is no longer on scene when the LEO arrives, it’s important to know that granny is packing heat in her bloomers and that it’s a .9mm Smith & Wesson.  That way, when backup is enroute to the call and spots an old lady on her moped fitting the description of granny, he knows what kind of goodies she’s holding.  The more specific a caller can be about the type of weapon and the location of it, the better.  For instance, it would be highly unlikely that granny would be packing a musket gun in her bloomers, but a small .32 cal would not be unreasonable.

If you’re a caller, remain calm and clearly tell the 911  operator what you know.  If you don’t know, it’s ok to say “I don’t know.”  The questions may sound unreasonable or out of the ordinary but there are good reasons for these questions.  I will attempt to go over these questions in further postings.

As for now, stay safe.