Tactical Dispatch Training

Yesterday marked the end of four long days of training which myself and four of my coworkers took part in. The training was hosted by the Fremont Police Department, and was titled "Tactical Dispatch." It was a fantastic learning experience, and one which I won't soon forget. The course was taught by Tammy Smith of Mountain View, California. Tammy has been serving the Mountain View Police Department as a dispatcher for nearly fifteen years, and was a driving force behind establishing the tactical dispatch program in Mountain View. She now teaches all over the country, and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from her.

So, what is tactical dispatch? Basically, it's the idea of mobilizing a team of dispatchers to a command post during a critical incident. For instance, in a hostage situation where the SWAT team has been called upon to respond, the tactical dispatch team would respond as well in an effort to provide on-scene dispatching, resources, and log-keeping. The idea has been around for many years, but has just recently begun to explode as more and more police agencies are realizing how much of an enhancement tactical dispatch can be during a critical incident.

As per usual, the first day was spent soaking in lots of information, taking notes, and watching/dissecting videos of past critical incidents. The next two days were spent conducting table-top exercises and practicing/role playing in an effort to familiarize us with the setting of a command post as it relates to tactical dispatching. The fourth and final day was a culmination of all we had practiced, and was easily the most in-depth and hands on of any training in which I've participated. The Fremont SWAT team agreed to assemble and join us, and they used the day as a training exercise for themselves. It was incredibly beneficial for both the team, and for those of us in the class.

Tammy began the day by splitting the class into two groups. The first group played the role of the tactical dispatch team, while the second group played the roles of the bad guys and the hostages. Our first incident was staged at an old row of metal storage buildings, and began when a group of disgruntled employees finally snapped, taking several hostages at gunpoint. The SWAT team was called in, and my role in this incident was as a member of the dispatch team. Along with my team members, I began assembling the command post and gathering data/intelligence on the situation. Once the SWAT team arrived, I helped to brief the commander on the situation, and provided him with the information we had collected to that point. What followed was about a two-hour process which included hostage negotiations, deployment of the SWAT team to their respective positions (entry team, snipers, etc.), and a constant effort to collect more intelligence and keep track of times. Once the decision was made to breech the facility, the SWAT team used their tactics and the bad guys were taken into custody.

The second incident was a family reunion gone bad in which the wife was cheating on the husband, and decided to bring her "boyfriend" to the reunion. The husband and his friend showed up with the intentions of doing harm to the boyfriend. My role was that of the husband's friend, and both he and I were armed with .357 magnum revolvers. We beat the tar out of the boyfriend and held most everyone else at the reunion hostage, while we continued to drink and beat up on the boyfriend. Eventually, the SWAT team made the decision to breech the structure and as they made their approach, the wife ran screaming into the front yard with the husband chasing her and waving his gun. A shouting match followed, but the husband was soon shot by a member of the SWAT team. Here's where things became rather interesting from my perspective.

Having no idea that the SWAT team had descended on the house, I looked out the front door to see the husband laying in the front yard. I stepped out to check on him, and when I looked to my right, I found myself staring down the business end of a high-powered rifle held by one of the SWAT members. Gulp! I briefly put my hands in the air, then quickly retreated back inside the house. I hid in a bedroom closet and listened as the team made entry and began clearing the house one room at a time. When they entered the room I was in, I made the decision not to raise my gun in the hopes they would tackle me, restrain me, and escort me out of the house having not been shot. Instead, the first team member came around the corner and immediately "shot" me, rendering me a useless blob of human flesh. Doh! So much for my hopes of being roughed up a bit. Interestingly enough, I had the opportunity to speak with the team member who "shot" me, and he advised that his actions were what those in the field term a "questionable shoot." The question was whether he had reason to shoot me, since I had not pointed my gun. I told him that I didn't blame him, but that didn't seem to comfort him much as he was obviously concerned over his decision.

Of course, each incident ended much faster than it probably would have had it been the real thing, and no hostages or police officers were hurt, which may or may not have been the case in an actual event. Regardless, the entire day was a blast as we were exposed to several elements of police tactics which we do not normally have the privilege of experiencing. I am looking forward to taking what I have learned and applying to my department in Lincoln. Our police department does not use tactical dispatchers, so it will be a matter of "selling" the idea to our commander. I have high hopes that we can accomplish the task.