Project One

Career Information - Dispatcher

1) Functions, Responsibilities and Jurisdictional aspects
Dispatchers coordinate the attendance of law enforcement personnels, equipment and
resources to support operations and timely responses to significant incidents.
Dispatchers receive calls from law enforcement officers, evaluate the calls, transmit the
information, communicate with various dispatch organizations to ensure clear and effective
communication.
They operate within the emergency response and law enforcement systems to support public
safety agencies in various settings.
2) Style of policing
Watchman style
i) This style can be used when addressing minor infractions. It is ideal for non-
emergency situations and community policing initiatives to keep the peace.
ii) The Watchman style of policing indicates an organizational culture that prioritizes
community engagement, decentralized decision-making and proactive policing
(Gant & Schaible, 2022). It values preserving public peace and order over strict
enforcement of the law.
Legalistic style
I) This style can be applied when strict adherence to legislature is needed. This can
be when handling legal processes and ensuring adherence to emergency protocols.
II) The legalistic style of policing is an indicator of an organizational culture that
prioritizes the strict enforcement of laws and regulations (Gant & Schaible, 2022).
Service style
i) This style of policing can be used when focusing on community support and
providing for the welfare of individuals during crises and emergencies.
ii) The service style of policing indicates a decentralized decision-making flow and
suggests that an organization values collaboration and community engagement.
3) Recruitment and candidate vetting processes.
Law enforcement outfits look out for individuals with good communication and
multitasking skills, strong customer service experience and the unique ability to
remain calm under pressure.
i) Candidate vetting – when looking for dispatchers, law enforcement agencies
review applications to assess minimum requirements and test them with various
tests to evaluate their suitability for the position (Bonner & Johnson, 2017).
Candidates also undergo serious background checks and extensive training to
prepare them for the role.
ii) Interview process – prospective dispatchers are invited for interviews with law
enforcement representatives, and their experience, situational judgement and
problem-solving abilities are assessed.
 4) Theory of policing exemplified by the career
The theory of policing that best exemplifies the work of a dispatcher is the reactive policing
category. This is because they respond in reaction to significant events that warrant the
presence of various law enforcement officers (Barker, 2016). The reactive policing theory is
based on moving officers from one call to another without considering the origins of the
problems they encounter. Dispatchers prioritize and manage incoming calls to best respond to
incidents as they happen.
 References
Barker, V. (2016). Policing difference. The SAGE Handbook of Global Policing. London:
SAGE, 211-225.
Bonner, M., & Johnson, M. S. (2017). Recruiting and Hiring Minorities into Policing, with
International Considerations. International Journal of Crime, Law and Social
Issues, 4(2).
Gant, L., & Schaible, L. (2022). The impact of policing styles on officers’ willingness to
make referrals into pre-arrest diversion initiatives. Police practice and
research, 23(1), 20-33.