I know, I've had a recent dry spell and just haven't had the inspiration to put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard, as it were.
Lately, I have been in a reading mood more than I have been in a writing mood. Today I was perusing my favorite cop blogs and came across an entry from "Officer Smith; Thoughts from behind the Badge."
"Officer Smith" explained in great detail the reality of the 911 system.
In plain English, it's not some magic number you can call and expect an instantaneous response. The police have no duty to protect you 24/7 and it is unreasonable to expect that the police will be there immediately after you call 911, most especially when you call from a cell phone. Cell phone signals bounce off towers and the call doesn't always route you to the appropriate jurisdiction. Entering map coordinates is a time consuming endeavor when it would have been much quicker to tell the call taker the address of your emergency, along with several landmarks, mile markers, or the name of the subdivision. GPS coordinates do NOT pinpoint your EXACT location. It only helps first responders get close.
Additionally, screaming at the call takers slows the process down. They need information and they need it fast. Once the call taker gets the type of emergency, location, and a couple of other basic questions, another dispatcher is reading that info and starting the necessary response.
If you think that it takes only minutes for a response time, you are living in a fantasy world, my friends.
There are many mitigating factors that effect the response time. Don't even ask, "how long will it be?" How is the dispatcher supposed to know that?
One final note; if you've read my blog with regularity, you know that I am a firm believer in our 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms. The criminal element preys on the weakest and easiest targets. Don't make yourself an easy target. Learn your state's gun laws and the laws of self defense. Arm yourself with a gun, pepper spray, taser, even a baseball bat and then learn how to use it.
Read Officer Smith's thoughts on this subject;
http://officersmith.blogspot.com/2012/02/help-police.html
Lately, I have been in a reading mood more than I have been in a writing mood. Today I was perusing my favorite cop blogs and came across an entry from "Officer Smith; Thoughts from behind the Badge."
"Officer Smith" explained in great detail the reality of the 911 system.
Additionally, screaming at the call takers slows the process down. They need information and they need it fast. Once the call taker gets the type of emergency, location, and a couple of other basic questions, another dispatcher is reading that info and starting the necessary response.
If you think that it takes only minutes for a response time, you are living in a fantasy world, my friends.
There are many mitigating factors that effect the response time. Don't even ask, "how long will it be?" How is the dispatcher supposed to know that?
One final note; if you've read my blog with regularity, you know that I am a firm believer in our 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms. The criminal element preys on the weakest and easiest targets. Don't make yourself an easy target. Learn your state's gun laws and the laws of self defense. Arm yourself with a gun, pepper spray, taser, even a baseball bat and then learn how to use it.
Read Officer Smith's thoughts on this subject;
http://officersmith.blogspot.com/2012/02/help-police.html
1 comment:
Great stuff, Older School. Thanks for an enlightening post. Hopefully you've planted a seed that somewhere down the line will save a life.
I tip my fedora and raise my bourbon glass to you, Officer.
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