Sun Jun 3, 2018, 08:09 PM

gollygee (22,336 posts)

I used to be a 911 dispatcher. I had to respond to racist calls every day.

This is an example of how institutional racism works. White people are afraid of people simply because they're black, and call the police, and the police policy is that they have to send someone out. The system - the police policy - perpetuates the racism.

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/5/30/17406092/race-911-white-lady-calls-police-on-black-family-bbq-oakland

The man gave me his address and then said, “There’s a woman pushing a shopping cart in front of my house.” This one stumped me. I worked in a large metropolitan area. Yes, the city where I worked was affluent, and most people used their cars to get groceries. But surely he’d seen a person using a personal grocery cart before.

“I’m sorry, I’m not getting it. What’s the problem?” I waited for more clarification as I racked my brain for the correct penal code under which this infraction might fall.

“You need to get out here now.”

(snip)

The worst thing about it? I had to send someone out. Dispatchers usually don’t get to choose which calls lead to the dispatching of emergency personnel and which don’t.

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8 replies	Author	Time	Post
I used to be a 911 dispatcher. I had to respond to racist calls every day. (Original post)	gollygee	Jun 2018	OP
America has a lot of really ugly hateful and bigoted racist people about all sorts of things.	RKP5637	Jun 2018	#1
I just shake my head	Ohiogal	Jun 2018	#2
I worked for a bank where my manager pulled the alarm because a black guy came in.	Corvo Bianco	Jun 2018	#3
Bless you for that work	Haggis for Breakfast	Jun 2018	#4
Most states have a charge of "misusing 911" or the equivalent	Lee-Lee	Jun 2018	#8
Dispatchers can choose	Corgigal	Jun 2018	#5
Depends what the local policy is on if they can not send	Lee-Lee	Jun 2018	#7
As a black man this shit terrorizes me way more than ISIS or MS13 or what ever	uponit7771	Jun 2018	#6

Response to gollygee (Original post)

Sun Jun 3, 2018, 08:14 PM

RKP5637 (66,489 posts)

1. America has a lot of really ugly hateful and bigoted racist people about all sorts of things.

Often I think the US sucks, but I guess most places do. Many humans are really really strange and weird.

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Response to gollygee (Original post)

Sun Jun 3, 2018, 08:18 PM

Ohiogal (29,268 posts)

2. I just shake my head

and wonder how we have so many ugly, fucked up, racist, bigots in this country who live in fear.

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Response to gollygee (Original post)

Sun Jun 3, 2018, 08:37 PM

Corvo Bianco (1,148 posts)

3. I worked for a bank where my manager pulled the alarm because a black guy came in.

The police reviewed the video tape and saw a black man walk into the bank and talk to one of our loan officers just the way white dudes do all day long. The police explained that the alarm is for armed robberies only, but had no guts to ask what my boss was afraid of. Good ol Utah.

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Response to gollygee (Original post)

Sun Jun 3, 2018, 10:45 PM

Haggis for Breakfast (6,831 posts)

4. Bless you for that work

You will never know how many lives you have saved.

I could never so your job. The first racist asswipe I encountered would have ended my career immediately.

I cannot understand why people call 911 over trivial matters. After all, the first thing you hear from the 911 Dispatcher is "Please state the nature of your emergency." Yes, emergency. Not your anxiety, your argument with your neighbor over their stereo, their dog pooping in your yard, their drunk Uncle pissing in the bushes or your racist paranoia. I think people who make these kinds of nonsense, time-wasting calls, tying up the 911 Dispatchers' precious time should be hit with "nuisance" citations.

We should pass some form of financial penalty to people who make non-emergency calls to 911. I would hate to think that a legitimate call for medical assistance about a heart attack victim is behind the call from someone bitching that the paper boy failed to land the paper on their doorstep.

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Response to Haggis for Breakfast (Reply #4)

Mon Jun 4, 2018, 06:46 AM

Lee-Lee (6,324 posts)

8. Most states have a charge of "misusing 911" or the equivalent

In NC it had to be a clear cut case where the person couldn’t argue they legitimately thought they were in danger even if they were wrong.

So usually it was used for the repeated callers with nonsense or the drunks who called.

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Response to gollygee (Original post)

Sun Jun 3, 2018, 10:54 PM

Corgigal (9,291 posts)

5. Dispatchers can choose

We prioritize so low, it takes forever to respond and the case is cleared.

We also say, no because this is a civil case. I have no idea why they claim they can't refuse service cause we can. However on certain live calls, suspicions persons/cars then we will send someone out. Depends on what the citizens are saying.

I worked 911 for over 8 years, both police and EMS. Our judgement was good and I never gotten written up, nor did I give a citizen bad information. Might not like the answer, but thems the breaks.

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Response to Corgigal (Reply #5)

Mon Jun 4, 2018, 06:45 AM

Lee-Lee (6,324 posts)

7. Depends what the local policy is on if they can not send

When I was a deputy on call such as stuff that was clearly a civil matter they would advise them that it was likely a civil matter and that a deputy couldn’t do anything, but still send us if requested. Policy was everyone who wanted a response got one, calls like that got it eventually.

I have friends who work in big cities where they don’t even respond to burglary calls anymore, unless it’s in progress. If it’s already occurred they direct them to a website to make a report that they can give the insurance company and that’s it.

It all varies by where you are.

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Response to gollygee (Original post)

Mon Jun 4, 2018, 02:49 AM

uponit7771 (89,591 posts)

6. As a black man this shit terrorizes me way more than ISIS or MS13 or what ever

... the right-wing Boogeyman of the day is

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