Public Safety Telecommunicator -Investigator. PST-I. Has a strange sound when you say it out loud at first, but think a little bit. Is it really that far fetched? How can I even propose such a radical job? Dispatchers answer phones and, well, dispatch units.
They're not investigators...or aren't they?
A couple of days ago a co-worker and I were tossing thoughts back & forth. Our agency had just finished upgrading our desktop pc's. The machines were running XP and the State had mandated everyone's pc be upgraded to Windows 7. This order was a mixed blessing: new equipment is good but with the new comes little bugs. After years of using the older desktops, transferring files, favorites, etc. was a chore. A few programs weren't compatible.
You know...small stuff for the most part.
We compared notes on the 'new' operating system. It seemed that I was the only one who still had access to a couple of research data bases. We weren't sure why. He then noted that it made sense in a weird way because I was good at digging for information. I had to agree.
I can take a name only and find a plethora of data about the person. You want a driver's license, address, residential history, hunting license, criminal history, or vehicles registered to? No problem. But wait, all you have is a partial plate. No problem. What about relatives? I'll find them.
Maybe it comes easy because I've done a lot of family tree research on my own time. I have what another co-worker calls the 'stalker mentality". Okay, bad choice of words, but she meant I can take a piece of information and dig until I locate a person. I don't give until I've exhausted all avenues of data. By the way, she has that same ability. Between the two of us, we rarely fail to 'find' our person on an inquiry request.
This leads me to the new position.
How many of us have received requests to 'get any data on John or Jane Doe' you can from our field personnel. Now, I'm not just talking about the average inquiry check as part of a traffic or pedestrian stop. I'm referring to a law enforcement officer, detective, or investigator calling dispatch and making the request. Large departments probably have a person assigned to do this task but small to mid-size agencies may not. Who handles the duty? The Communications Center of course!
In the last year, my husband had the experience of having his work tools ripped off when one of the company trailers was stolen and everything inside was taken. The trailer was recovered within 48 hours in a storage lot, with video camera surveillance. Nothing came of this, and his (and the company's) property were never found - and the suspects never located. He was told that the agency was overwhelmed with property crimes and just didn't have the personnel to investigate all the leads. A real shame.
This certainly would have been a situation where a Investigative Dispatcher could have helped.
We know how to search. We know the various data bases out there. We certainly can multi-task. Dispatchers are part of Incident Management Teams, Swat Teams, and Disaster Response (as TERT). We give aid as EMDs. Having another specialization, a rotation assignment, just like the departments do with detectives, could do wonders for dispatcher burn-out.
Put some requirements for the position. Let's say, before one can apply, you have to have been working in your agency a minimum of three years. You must be NCIC/NCJIS certified. If your state has any mandated training, then you must be certified to that standard. You can't have any founded complaints at the time of the position opening. Make the job a 9-5, M-F, with the understanding that there is no overtime unless you want to fill in at the dispatch center.
Why should we as a profession consider this? I'll use my agency as an example. A lot of the wardens groan about paperwork. They' rather be out patrolling their territory. Considering how large their assigned areas are, the more each one is out driving around, the more likely they will catch a problem and stop minor ones from turning in to major ones. Many of them don't have access to the programs we (dispatch) have. Their research is often the word-of-mouth, contacts, or comes from other agencies. We use the local, state, federal, and professional data systems. It's what we do every day; just like answering the radio and coordinating radio responses to calls. With an investigation Dispatcher handling the computer end, this frees up the warden to do the face-to-face field interviews sooner rather than later. It gets the field personnel back patrolling instead of in the office.
Not only could the PST-I check the various data bases, he or she could keep an eye on the social media for appropriate relative information. We have to face facts: Craig's List, Twitter, and Facebook can provide clues and outright evidence for cases. Too bad departments don't have the time or resources to dedicate a person to watch for those key posts. Could the PST-I stop a crime before it took place based on a Facebook comment?
What do you think? Is my idea so far out in space that not even Captain Kirk could find me? I believe it has merit and only formalizes what many of us are doing on a daily basis. If I had a chance to do this as a special assignment, I wouldn't hesitate. My application would be on the Chief's desk faster than it took me to write this post.
Stay safe out there!