198,000 Calls Answered By Toms River Police Dispatchers In 2018

TOMS RIVER, NJ — In 2018, the Toms River Police Department received more than 198,000 calls from citizens needing assistance, from critical emergencies to less-serious issues.

And every one of those calls first came to one of the department's dispatchers. The role of dispatchers is being highlighted across the country this week during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Telecommunicators are the people who answer the phones when someone dials 9-1-1.

"A dispatcher’s job is to stay calm, keep the person on the other end of the phone calm, and gather as much information as possible to assist the police officers and make sure they are not walking blindly into a situation. Each day they come into work ready to be there for you in time of crisis," the Toms River Police Department said in a news release.

The police department has 16 full-time and 9 part-time dispatchers to handle the 198,000 phone calls, an average of 16,500 calls a month. Using an integrated computer-aided dispatching system they dispatch police, fire and EMS personnel to calls for service. Within those calls, the dispatcher is on the radio speaking with the responding officers, relaying information the caller is telling them about the scene and what they may be facing when they arrive.

Dispatchers use state and national systems for comprehensive checks ranging from warrants to criminal backgrounds. They also manage entries into the national crime system for lost, stolen, wanted and missing items and persons.

“Our police dispatchers are the foundation of our department," Sgt. Steve Austin, who is in charge of the dispatch unit, said. "Without them, our structure will surely collapse. They are tasked with the responsibility of keeping both our citizens as well as our officers safe, never able to take a break. They are an essential part of our operation and seldom receive the recognition they deserve. They truly are Unsung Heroes."

When each call is over, dispatchers have to jump right into the next without hesitation, no matter what may have transpired on the previous call, Toms River police said. The stress of the job leads to a high turnover rate.

"It is a fast-paced job where you must be able to multitask and function in high-pressure situations. Although we don’t say it enough, we truly appreciate and respect each and every one of them and know that without our dispatchers, we could not operate to the capacity we do," the news release said.

"To say we are grateful for all our dispatchers do for the police department and the community would be a vast understatement," Police Chief Mitchell Little said. "They are literally our first line of defense in a crisis and we could not operate without them, they are a crucial element of our team and we appreciate them more than they know."

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