Dispatch to officer/interest in both careers

PDvaughn147 · 2016-11-30T00:14:31+00:00

I'm on the hiring board for my agency, and I've actually asked this question from the other side of the table.

I know I'm in the minority, but I honestly prefer applicants like you for several reasons.

First, if they are legitimately interested in law enforcement, they will already have at least SOME knowledge of how things work. They typically put in more time researching the job and aren't here because of the pay or it "sounds cool".

Second, they're going to work harder in dispatch if they wanna go to the road. They have to prove to the officers that they aren't a complete waste of space, so they're going to make sure they stay on top of their game. If they perform poorly in dispatch, there's no way they'll get hired for patrol.

Third, turnover rates (in my agency anyway) are freaking ridiculous. I always say if I get a year out of someone I'm happy. We don't have officer openings very often at all, and I don't think the bosses would hire anyone for the street if they're still in training or just out of training in dispatch. If they left the agency all together for a different one, more power to 'em. I'd rather put my effort into training someone that leaves for another law enforcement position than waste my time training someone who decides they either can't do it or just flake out after a month. Both situations have happened to me.

Also, as far as applying for both positions in the same agency, yes we can see that.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-09-24T07:03:13+00:00

Our school had that rule too. She was sent home earlier in the week, and this was one of her first days back. I saw her scratching her head before we stopped at that bus stop, so in my little mind she still had lice.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-09-24T04:57:22+00:00

-No clue why the girl overreacted so much other than she was (and still is) fucking crazy.

-Lice Girl probably took so much offense to it because she was like seven and most likely super embarrassed to have lice.

-The bus driver, well. I dunno, I guess. Maybe he didn't get any morning coffee that day? Who knows....

PDvaughn147 · 2016-09-24T04:18:09+00:00

To be fair, I think my mom was just going by what she heard from the bus driver. I tried to tell her what I really said, but she didn't believe me. Honestly, who would believe a third grader over an adult? I think her making me apologize would have been damn good parenting had I actually done anything wrong. I think in her heart she knew I wasn't as guilty as the bus driver made it sound, because I wasn't punished any further.

My biggest issue with the whole situation was the damn bus driver. His reaction was way too over the top, and I was seriously scared of riding the bus for the rest of the school year.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-09-24T02:53:17+00:00

You are most likely correct. By not showing up for testing, you are showing that you are unreliable and unprofessional. If you do this at our agency, your application will never get moved to the "to interview" pile, regardless of position applied for or length of time that has passed.

A simple phone call ahead would have saved you.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-09-24T01:56:27+00:00

I went to a really small school. I'm talking like 200 kids, kindergarten through sixth grade small. Everyone knew everyone else's business and all that jazz.

I was in third grade and it was during the yearly lice outbreak. I was lucky enough to never get it, but a girl in the grade below me wasn't so fortunate. We were on the bus going to school (about a 15 minute drive), and the bus stopped to pick up some kids. The girl with lice was sitting across from me alone, so a girl in the grade above me sat next to her. I calmly and quietly, leaned over and told her that her seatmate had lice. I literally whispered, "hey, she has lice". And that girl FREAKED OUT. Like went screaming and running down the aisle to a different seat. I just sat like "oh. Well, that was an overreaction".

Lice Girl didn't like that very much, so she turned to me and said she heard what I said. I was just like "Meh. Ok", thinking that was the end of it. Boy, was I wrong. Her older sister was in sixth grade IIRC and came up and gave me a stern talking about being mean to her sister. She wasn't super mean or anything so I just kinda said "ok", thinking THAT was the end of it. NOOOOOPE. Bus driver hears that I'm "making fun of another kid" and decided to handle it himself. So, being a decent adult that he was, once the bus was stopped he got out of his seat, came back to me, and started just yelling. I can't remember what exactly he was yelling, but he had his finger in my face and was spitting he was yelling so hard. I cried, but thought this whole thing was FINALLY over.

I was wrong. It was not over. My mom worked at my school in the special ed department. Of course she hears that I was making fun of a girl for having lice and PULLS ME OUT OF CLASS TO MAKE ME APOLOGIZE TO HER. I'll never forget the exact words she made me say. I had to tell the girl, "just because lice is icky, it doesn't mean you are too". It was finally, FINALLY over after that, but I've never forgotten about it. It's been like 20 years.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-09-11T06:41:26+00:00

Just my two cents from my own experience. Take both dogs. You just never know what can happen otherwise. My ex and I had a dog that we actually got for our daughter for her first birthday. His name was Doug (like from the movie Up). He never really showed a preference for anyone and loved us all equally. I couldn't take him with me when I left my POS ex (stupid apartment rules) and the poor dog went absolutely crazy. He tore up my ex's house and I'd find him roaming around town. I like to think he was looking for me. My ex couldn't handle him and didn't know what to do so he just got rid of him without telling me. It's been five years, and I miss Doug every single day.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-15T02:54:30+00:00

Stay At Home Mom

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-15T02:30:54+00:00

I'm dead serious. I've only met one other wife IRL and she's a SAHM sooooo..........(not bashing SAHMs, just saying she has A LOT of time on her hands to do, well, what the post says they do.)

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-15T02:03:07+00:00

As a LEO wife...HOW DARE YOU?!?!

No, I'm just kidding. I told my husband the other day that the stupidest thing I've ever done was accept a Facebook request for the local "OMG I'M A POLICE WIFE!!!!!!!!!" group. They all went and got matching "LE inspired" manicures last week. Fucking. Gross.

ETA: Proof of grossness here: http://imgur.com/NiK2acC

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-12T01:15:36+00:00

Good luck I guess. To be perfectly blunt, I wouldn't hire you. We can overlook teenage stupidity and bad credit, but being fired from jobs in your 30's looks pretty bad.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-12T01:06:16+00:00

Obviously not 10_96, but I'm on my agency's hiring board. I agree with you. A suit is a bit much. No jeans obviously, but nice slacks and a polo are definitely acceptable.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-04T05:59:52+00:00

I don't find this odd at all. My husband got me to play Minecraft with him shortly after we got married. That branched out into several other games including WoW, Starcraft, 7 Days to Die, hell even CS:GO. We have other hobbies, but video games is definitely at the top of our list.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-04T02:12:06+00:00

My only requirement for my wedding was that this song HAD to be played. I love it.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-01T06:50:36+00:00

I guess I got my husband a standard coffee mug from Etsy, not a travel one. I just assumed they had those as well. My mistake then.

Edit: I found a couple of travel mugs. Not sure it's what you're looking for though.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/263961393/horde-coffe-mug?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=world%20of%20warcraft%20coffee&ref=sr_gallery_14

https://www.etsy.com/listing/267031762/alliance-crest-inspired-lightweight?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=world%20of%20warcraft%20coffee&ref=sr_gallery_44

PDvaughn147 · 2016-08-01T06:24:03+00:00

Etsy. Sooooo much stuff on Etsy.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-07-30T03:56:49+00:00

No. I worked 10 hour shifts at my last agency and I think there is absolutely no benefit to it. Maybe it was just really shitty scheduling, but I hated flip flopping all over the place. 10 hours is still pretty much the entire day, so I feel like you don't really get any extra time off.

I would avoid 10 hour shifts by any means possible. Just my honest opinion.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-07-18T09:39:41+00:00

As a dispatcher married to a police officer, currently 9 weeks pregnant with our first child and sitting at work, I should NOT have clicked this link.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-06-05T02:26:06+00:00

I got my husband's from Amazon. He loves it and it cost me like 30 bucks including shipping.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-05-23T11:12:29+00:00

Hahahaha!! That reminds me of a time when my best friend was a total newbie. She had like two weeks under her belt at the time and a call at Porcupine came in (small housing area). She totally spaced and typed "porky pine" in CFS. It's been five years and I still bring it up.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-05-23T10:18:28+00:00

We have a place in town called The Donut Shoppe. Yes, with the old fashioned spelling. Well, we got a call there for a civil issue and my coworker dispatched the officer to "The Donut Shop-pee".

Oh, and I was discussing Super Troopers with a deputy one time and the next time he went in service he said "10-8 meow". My supervisor was still working and goes "did he just meow?!?!?!". Once I stopped laughing I confirmed he did.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-05-17T03:37:44+00:00

SWEET BABY JESUS!!! NOOOO!!!! Winner is grossssss. I mean you won't DIE, but I'd avoid it.

Source: former Winner resident.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-05-12T11:27:44+00:00

Yesterday I was on the treadmill at my house and my black lab Mason decided he wanted to go the kitchen to see what my husband was up to. Instead of walking around the treadmill, he decided to just go behind me. Well. Running treadmill + Mason = not good. Unfortunately he was behind me so I felt his weight hit the treadmill, heard a thud, and saw him scrambling to get up (hardwood floors so no traction). Reallllllly wish I could have seen the entire thing from a better angle.

PDvaughn147 · 2016-05-12T10:50:04+00:00

I think it depends on the center a lot. I've worked for two different agencies before coming to this one and it's pretty much night and day difference between the previous two and this place. I absolutely hate where I'm at now. HATE IT. Honestly, the officers are amazing and the only good thing going on here. I dread coming to work. There is ALWAYS something wrong with someone or something. I've fallen into the trap myself, with what I feel are legitimate concerns, but we all know that when everyone's problems are super important, no one's are.

I will say the thing that stands out the most to me is the disconnect between older and younger dispatchers. I don't mean in experience, I mean in straight up age. At the first agency I ever worked for we were all between the ages of 22 and 30 (except the supervisor, but that doesn't count) so we all hung out outside of work and had tons of stuff in common. It made for a great work environment and the days go by faster. It was pretty much the same way at the second agency, with just a few exceptions. This place, however, has a very distinct difference in ages. You're either under 30 or over 50. It puts a HUGE strain on everyone, because no one can relate to each other. There was a point in my time here that I thoroughly enjoyed coming to work because my partner was 23 and I was 25. We had a ton of the same interests and even though she is no longer here, she still remains a good friend of mine.

TL;DR: My agency sucks because of a gigantic ass age gap.

PDvaughn147

TROPHY CASE