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In the United States, law enforcement areas of responsibility are often layered upon one another, providing for the occasional issue when it comes to deciding who will deal with a particular case. There is the federal level, the state level, the county level, and sometimes the municipality level of law enforcement all working in (hopefully) tandem with one another, but what happens when that harmony breaks down? In an emergency communications center, very often the people that have to deal with that are the civilian telecommunicators. 

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Standard Operating Procedures, SOPs, for a police department are generally established, or at least blessed off on, by the agency's upper echelon of command. They operate as the rules for all of the employees to follow, but sometimes there can be disagreements in how those SOPs are applied.  When this happens, telecommunicators can often find themselves in the middle of this disagreement, but how can that be navigated through successfully for a supporting unit like Communications?

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The Covid-19 pandemic which struck the world in 2020 was a devastating blow to people around the world on so many levels. Lives were upended, norms were modified everyday on the fly, and the workforce for every industry was thrown into chaos. This was also the case for emergency services, where many PSAPs across the world faced unprecedented staffing issues as droves of people left the profession and few people joined it. As we come out of the cataclysm which was the first half of the 2020s, emergency communication centers must take stock of what they have and how they can rebuild a dedicated, robust group of telecommunicators who will once again answer the call. 

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In February of 2021, Winter Storm Uri descended upon the state of Texas, unleashing bitter cold in the subzero range as well as heavy amounts of snowfall. These issues brought the infrastructure of the state to the breaking point, leaving millions without power for an extended period of time as well as making many roadways impassable. This is that story told from the perspective of two Emergency Telecommunicators working in Austin, Texas.  

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Conversations around friends and family can often be joyful and filled with laughter, but there are usually topics which are avoided most times to help keep the peace; politics, religion, and sometimes even law enforcement. But, when you work as a first responder, and in law enforcement in particular, how can you best approach these subjects when they are brought up? Join your host Erica as we dive in to this thorny topic!

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They say in life that no one can serve two masters, but at the North Texas Emergency Communications Center (NTECC), they support four separate agencies, each with their own wants and needs, policies and protocols. How can you survive when pulled in so many different directions at once? We have asked on Shantelle Oliver who serves as NTECC's Support Services Manager and was a previous Texas APCO president to discuss just how she does that very thing.

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Oftentimes in life, people will pick up and move to other cities; this could be for a myriad of reasons that range from the profound to the miniscule. When an emergency telecommunicator does this, and they wish to stay within the profession, how many of their skills and knowledges will transfer to other agencies? Sure, each department will have its own policies and procedures, but will the basic and fundamental skills be the same everywhere? We've invited an emergency telecommunicator who moved from one department to another, Tonisha Fox, on to the show this week to discuss. 

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Many of those in the emergency telecommunications profession choose to make that their life-long career, spending decades serving the public by answering the call and dispatching units to the scene. But, for a large percentage of those who don the headsets, they yearn for wearing the badge as a sworn officer. While many police officers go straight into the profession, there is something to be said about getting your feet wet by spending some time to understand the communications aspect of law enforcement. Joining us this week is our guest, Sarah Foster who served as a police dispatcher for two years before becoming a police officer. 

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After critical and complicated incidents are completed, there are usually very many things which worked well, some things which didn't work so well, and a few things that flat-out failed miserably. After Action Reviews and Debriefs are a tool that can be used when taking a moment to reflect on how a call or event was handled and identify things that could be made better for the next time. These can be valuable moments where first responders can not only increase their ability to help the public, but also have some form of catharsis in regards to the trauma of the incident itself. Join your host Erica as we discuss the merits and drawbacks of their use.

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The Freedom of Information Act, FOIA for short, is an act passed by the United States Congress with many states having passed similar laws. This allows citizens to petition their government for information on any number of topics, from salaries of government officials to 9-1-1 emergency calls. This has allowed a greater degree of transparency in the government but has also allowed for some nefarious actors to take advantage of the rules. This is especially true in the realm of law enforcement. Join your host Erica as we discuss the Freedom of Information Act and the impacts that it has on law enforcement and especially emergency communications. 

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