How To AMAURY MURGADO
HOW TO FIGURE OUT THE TYPE OF CALL YOU'RE ON Even if you're a seasoned veteran, it can be difficult to determine what you're handling at certain scenes, and then you need the right protocol and paperwork. AMAURY MURGADO
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o a senior officer, calls become second nature. They have handled hundreds of disturbances and multiple types of in-progress calls, and that new officer's adrenaline rush of running lights and sirens is long gone. But to a person fresh off field training, it's a different world all together. It becomes apparent very quickly that when you are thrown into the deep end of the pool, there is a huge divide between book knowledge and the real world. And this is never more true than when trying to determine what type of call you're dealing with, and therefore how to handle it.
THE HARDEST PART OF ANY CALL To be sure, the hardest part of any call is figuring out what
you have. Once you do, it's a matter of following protocol, policy, and filling out the right paperwork. And therein lies the rub; getting to that point. It's akin to solving puzzles or answering riddles. Senior officers make it seem easy but don't let that fool you; it wasn't always that way. There have been more times than I care to remember when I rolled up to a scene that was utter pandemonium and it took time to get a handle on things. There were other times when the tale being spun by the complainant was so convoluted I had no idea what was going on. I am not ashamed to admit that there were plenty of times I had to call for help in order to figure it out. Essentially, this is what you need to figure out when handling a call: what it is, what you're supposed to do about it, and what paperwork is involved.
IT'S A LOGICAL PROGRESSION
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One of the things I do for recruits learning report writing
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at the police academy is pass out a flow chart covering the different categories of calls. It makes it easier for them to decide what they have when I throw report writing scenarios at them. Making a flow chart is something to consider when you are first starting out as it gives you a quick reference point. The first decision in the flow chart is deciding whether the call in question is civil or criminal in nature. If it's civil in nature, there are many instances in which the only requirement needed is to refer the complainant to another section of your agency, have him or her contact an attorney, or direct the person to file certain paperwork at the court house. What you refer them to do is going to be determined by your agency's policy and procedures, and state law. Policy will also determine what part of the call you do handle. Usually the road officer handles very little as other agencies or specialty units do most of the civil work. If it's criminal, you have two choices; is it a misdemeanor crime or a felony crime? You have to identify what role officer discretion plays, if any. Whether it's a misdemeanor or For more on legal issues go to www.PoliceMag.com/law