911 Dispatchers
Trauma within law enforcement is talked about often along with how to combat the stresses faced on a daily basis. First responders stereotypically consist of medical personnel, police, fire, corrections and the military. A handful of states have recently passed legislation to include 911 dispatchers in the first responder classification due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is commonly diagnosed in the field. “According to the DSM-5, the essential feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is “the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to one or more traumatic events” (American Psychiatric Association)
Dispatchers spend 10 hours a day answering your calls for help on what is possibly the worst day of your life. They hear the tremble in your voice as you hide while someone is breaking into your home; they hear your screams while you try to revive your family member or friend after they have been injured or killed; they hear your cries when your infant stopped breathing or your mommy and daddy are physically fighting; they play detective by pinpointing your location with nothing but screams in the background or while you were stranded on the river; and they have talked you out of suicide until help arrived. The amount of trauma faced by local dispatchers is enough to stoke fear, anger, distrust, and mental fatigue.
In module 3 of Forensic Behavior Analysis, the notion that forensic psychologists may have an allegiance to an agency or patient, is not limited to forensic psychologists. Many dispatchers face their own personal fears, through someone else, every day, and even several times a day. As a former dispatcher, I often felt an allegiance to the caller I was trying to help. Their safety was my priority as long as I was in contact with them. Once law enforcement arrived on scene, the officer’s safety became my priority and I had an allegiance to them, to protect them and guide them.
There are many risks that factor in to how PTSD will affect a dispatcher. For example, a dispatcher who has experienced sexual trauma at some point in their life will, in fact, take a sexual assault 911 call during their career. Calls like this often-led dispatchers to comfort the victims and cater to them versus building that barrier that is needed. “While the protocols can be useful for guiding dispatchers through stressful situations, in other circumstances, they can cause pain and discomfort when a dispatcher can tell that a situation is hopeless. Dispatchers are not trained to deal with each unique case differently; they are expected to follow through with the routine questions regardless of circumstances” (Muller, 2017). In many cases, the situation is helpless and all the dispatcher can do is keep the caller calm until help arrives. This feeling, alone, is enough to bring a dispatcher to their lowest point.
In an effort to promote self-care, law enforcement agencies have become increasingly aware of the trauma their personnel face and provide one-on-one counseling, group therapy and a healthy number of vacation hours each month. But to be honest, I don’t know a single dispatcher that doesn’t love going to work each day and helping the community they serve.
References
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth). (2013). American Psychiatric Association.
Muller, R. T. (2017, September 21). Trauma Exposure Linked to PTSD in 911 Dispatchers. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma/201709/trauma-exposure-linked-ptsd-in-911-dispatchers.