Domestic and Family Violence
for Dispatch Professionals

Class Description:

A law enforcement dispatcher plays a vital and key role in the apprehension and prosecution of a domestic violence suspect. A woman is physically abused by her husband every 9 seconds in the United States. A call taker and dispatcher must know the variety of ways that calls of family and domestic violence may be referred to a dispatch center. 35% of emergency-room visits by women are for symptoms that may be the result of spousal abuse; as few as 5% of these victims are ever so categorized.

It takes a huge amount of courage for a victim to call 9-1-1. We must be prepared to gather the right information and facilitate the appropriate response! 92% of women who were physically abused by their partners did not discuss these incidents with their physicians; 57% did not discuss the incidents with anyone.

Given the statistics, the 9-1-1 profession must be prepared for domestic and family violence calls, to prioritize them correctly and to coordinate a safe response. Women are more often victims of domestic violence than victims of burglary, muggings, or other physical crime combined.  In fact, some researches estimate that one of every two women will be battered at some time in their life.

Topics include:

• Information gathering during the initial call for service
• What to expect from a traumatized caller
• How to combine compassion and empathy to get the best information
• The Dispatchers role in responder safety during critical calls
• How to defuse the suspect while responders are in route to a call
• Using the PSTC Crisis Communications Toolbox
• Role Plays and Scenarios of reality based family emergency calls
• Lessons Learned and case studies to enforce the dispatchers role

9-1-1 public safety dispatchers must have the necessary tools to keep distraught victims on the line until responders can arrive. Learn how to calm abusive and assaultive subjects and gain necessary intelligence on the telephone that can help responding officers and keep the situation safe?  We will share the valuable questions that can be asked on the telephone that can lead to better arrests and to more successful prosecutions?

Target Audience: Any Public Safety Dispatcher, Training Dispatcher or Lead Dispatcher will benefit from this course. We also tailor this class to meet your specific agency needs or any emergency services group. We have vast experience with police, fire, EMS, military groups and private public safety groups.

Class length: 7-8 Hours

Cost: Call for current group or individual rates if not posted on the schedule.

Certification: California POST Plan II. Call for details regarding other certifications.

Evaluations:

Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.