PURPOSE OF THE ORDER:
The purpose of this order is to enhance and ensure compliance with Field Operations Directive 90-12, the Delayed Response Policy.
ORDER:
The community we serve expects courteous, professional and timely responses to calls for service. There will be instances where a field unit's response may not be immediate due to the field activity workload and priority of other calls. Because of those instances, a Delayed Response Policy was developed and is outlined in Field Operations Directive 90-12. This directive allows each station certain flexibility in assigning time frames to various types of delayed call classifications.
This Station Order will outline the classifications and remind personnel of the procedures for handling delayed responses. Staffing elements, including Desk personnel, the Watch Sergeant, and Field deputies, are essential to the successful implementation of this policy to ensure prompt and professional service.
I. It is the policy of this Station to handle all calls for service as expeditiously as possible. The
three categories of calls for service and their respective response time frames under
the Delayed Response Policy are as follows:
A. Emergent Calls for Service : Should the assigned unit not be available for an immediate
response, the call shall be dispatched as "any unit to handle." An expected time frame for an
immediate response within the City of San Dimas is 5 minutes and 7 minutes for the
unincorporated County area.
B. Priority Calls for Service : Should a city unit not be dispatched or is unable to arrive within
10 minutes or a county unit in 20 minutes at the scene of a priority call, the Watch
Deputy/Dispatcher shall consult the Watch Sergeant to find a reasonable resolution to the
problem.
C. Routine Calls for Service (Report calls, etc.) : The same criteria for priority calls also
applies to routine calls for service except that the response time frame is 25 minutes for city
units and 35 minutes for county units.
Remember that only routine incidents may be put on hold (Per C.A.D. Manuel Mod 3- 35).
II. DESK PERSONNEL RESPONSIBILITIES
Desk personnel shall stay aware of the field workload so that they are better able to advise callers of potential response delays. Remember not to promise callers specific arrival times, as not every response time can be anticipated. When it is obviously busy, desk personnel must advise the informant of the anticipated delay at the time of the original call and type "IAD", which stands for "Informant Advised of Delay," in the remarks section of the incident screen. Also include the reason for the delay, i.e., units in court, burglary containment, etc. If a call has already been dispatched and desk personnel become aware of a delay beyond the listed time frames, the informant shall be contacted and advised. If the Informant cannot be contacted, the Desk will type, "UAID," which stands for "Unable to Advise Informant of Delay".
When a call is sent to the dispatcher without the IAD comment and the dispatcher realizes that the response will exceed the D.R.P., the dispatcher may choose to add the comment and explain the particular action taken on a call by adding comments to the "Assign" and "Hold" commands. These comments become a part of the Incident and Unit Details. The Incident and Unit Details will reflect the time and the employee number of the dispatcher who added the comments. The dispatcher may also add comments (explaining the specific reason for the response delay, i.e., unit in court, a burglary containment, heavy traffic, etc.) to the "remark" field of the Incident Entry Format using the "CHG" function. These comments will automatically add a time event segment to the Incident Details indicating the time and employee number of the dispatcher who added the comment.
Watch Commanders, Watch Sergeants and Watch Deputies are expected to routinely monitor non-dispatched calls waiting for assignment. This is accomplished by typing "WI" (waiting incidents) from a blank CAD screen. You can review all pending unassigned calls and their respective wait times. The "US "command (unit status) followed by the unit number allows you to check a unit's current activity to assist in determining workload. Use of this system will allow Supervisors to stay current on call volume and assist in avoiding unnecessary response delays.
An additional resource available to assist in gaining compliance with this
order is the use of the "AI" command (assigned incident) typed and sent from a blank CAD screen. This resource will allow personnel to view the same screen used by the dispatcher to monitor the status of all assigned calls or observations. The user will be able to view symbols denoting the status of assigned incidents. The screen view will also show a time (in minutes) associated with the respective status symbol. The following is a definition of assigned incident symbols:
? NOT ACKED / ACKED < ENROUTE
+ 10-97( . ON THE MDT) * 10-98 " NO M.D.T.
If the time segment shows two asterisks ("**"), the time has exceeded 99 minutes. Desk personnel should make random checks of the assigned incident status to insure compliance and reallocate resources if necessary.
The Dispatcher shall not hold or stack calls for training cars. Desk personnel shall consult with the W/ Sergeant before compromising area integrity.
If an assigned unit does not acknowledge a routine call within 10 minutes, the dispatcher shall voice a message via SCC alerting the unit to check the M.D.T. , i.e. "Code 1M. "
The Watch Deputy and Dispatcher are responsible for monitoring all calls for service and insuring that their respective response time frames are not exceeded.
III. FIELD PERSONNEL RESPONSIBILITIES
Field personnel shall advise desk personnel in the event they will be extended to service calls. This will allow desk personnel an opportunity to call the informant and advise of the delay. If desk personnel are able to make a notification to the informant regarding the delay, "IAD" should be added to the incident data. Many times it is the failure to communicate call arrival delays that result in animosity expressed by the reporting party towards the deputy when he finally arrives. Complaints to the Watch Commander are another result of failing to communicate delayed responses. Most callers simply desire an honest explanation as to the reasons for delayed arrival times. Field deputies shall keep their M.D.T. status current to allow desk personnel the opportunity to make informed decisions about delayed responses. Field personnel shall include the reason for the delay in the MDT call clearance narrative. Field deputies shall accurately complete the Daily Worksheet prior to going home.
IV. SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Shift Watch Commanders:
1. Shall complete a BI-Monthly review of the shift's Deputy Daily Worksheets to ensure the
D.R.P. is implemented and adhered to.
2. Investigate excessive response times or failures to contact informants.
B. Shift Watch Sergeants:
1. Shall make random checks of their prior shift's response times by reviewing the
corresponding Exception Report. If the Sergeant wanted a report for the EM shift on
January 1st, 2004, the following command would be entered on a blank CAD screen :
" EXCP 010102 E " All violations will be addressed and reported to the Shift
Watch Commander for disposition.
2. The Watch Sergeant will ensure that deputies complete their daily worksheets prior to
going home and to ensure that the DDWS are being completed correctly.
C. Shift Watch Deputies:
1. Implement the D.R.P. by monitoring the response time of all calls.
2. Assign the Complaint Deputy or Desk Operations Assistant to Notify an informant if
a delay is expected.
V. Clarification & Comment:
The Delayed Response Plan is not intended to mandate specific times a unit must arrive at a call for service if it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. This order is intended to set realistic expectations and monitor the collection of accurate response time data. Remember, you shall immediately respond, without delay, to any call for service (yes, including 459 alarms) unless a delay is justified by other priority incidents.
The D.R.P. is designed to assist us all in accomplishing our mission. Communication with the public is a vital element in the delivery of professional service.