What are the roles and responsibilities of a dispatcher?

The dispatcher‘s main responsibility is to take emergency calls and communicate with the appropriate authorities to dispatch the necessary response personnel. This includes receiving emergency and non-emergency calls, advising callers, and dispatching emergency units to specific locations as needed. In addition to these duties, dispatchers must be familiar with police codes, operate a police radio dispatch system efficiently, and remain calm in stressful situations. Other common responsibilities include asking callers to describe the emergency, taking down their location and personal information, prioritizing emergency situations, advising callers on the best course of action, maintaining call logs, and staying up to date on the location and activity of emergency units in the area. They also handle non-emergency calls, submit call logs and caller information to law enforcement and legal officials, testify in court when necessary, and report any fraudulent or prank emergency calls to their supervisor.