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(Editor’s note: National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week is April 10-16. This story provides a glimpse into what a local dispatcher may handle during a shift.)
The caller was frantic. A family member was in danger and needed assistance. The caller was en route but requested a law enforcement response as well.
In the basement of the Lake County Public Safety Building, sitting in front of a bank of computer screens, Shannon Hoffman calmly asked questions. What is the emergency? What is the family member’s address?
Initially, the caller was so distressed she couldn’t remember the address or articulate the emergency, but calm questioning elicited the answers necessary to provide assistance. The call was routed to another county where the dispatcher was able to inform the caller that law enforcement was already on the scene…
