Four 911 Calls, Two Units: Triage and CAD Narrative
At 02:14:10, four 911 calls arrive within 70 seconds. Call A: a whispering female says, 'He has a gun, 22-14 91st Street, apartment 3B,' then the line drops before the dispatcher can confirm the cross street. Call B: a male reports a two-car fender bender at 150th Street and Hillside Avenue; both vehicles are pulled over, no injuries, and drivers are exchanging information. Call C: a convenience-store clerk says two males just took the cash register and ran west on 164th Street; one wore a red hoodie, no weapon was seen, and the clerk is locked in a back room. Call D: an elderly caller says the power is out and an oxygen concentrator alarm is beeping; she is breathing but worried the battery will fail. Two patrol units and one supervisor are available. The CAD system requires a call type, location, callback number, and brief narrative before dispatch.
1. Rank the four calls for dispatch priority and justify each placement. Assume no additional units will become available for 10 minutes.
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Ranking
- Call A - reported gun plus a dropped line and an incomplete address. The threat is not confirmed, but the combination of a firearm claim, a caller who cannot continue, and an unverified cross street creates the highest potential for immediate loss of life. Dispatch one unit and have the supervisor coordinate call-back and address verification.
- Call C - recent robbery with suspects fleeing west, a clerk locked in a back room, and no weapon seen. This is an in-progress crime with a fresh direction of travel and a vulnerable caller, but no confirmed immediate threat to life. Use the second unit and broadcast a perimeter description.
- Call D - elderly caller with an oxygen concentrator alarm during a power outage. She is breathing now, so this is a medical dependency rather than an active attack, but it can escalate quickly. Keep her on the line, notify EMS and the utility, and upgrade immediately if breathing worsens.
- Call B - non-injury fender bender, both vehicles pulled over, no hazard reported. This is lowest because there is no life-safety or in-progress criminal element; handle by phone or delayed response.
The ranking uses life safety first, then in-progress crime, then vulnerable-person escalation, then property-only incidents.
2. For the top two calls, list the minimum information you would try to obtain or verify before or while dispatching, and explain why.
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Call A
Minimum: exact address and cross street, apartment or floor, whether the caller can shelter, suspect description, number of people inside, weapons known or suspected, callback number, and whether anyone is injured. Why: the address must be verified because the caller gave no cross street; officer safety depends on weapon and suspect information; callback matters because the line dropped. Do not wait for every answer - dispatch on what is known and update by radio.
Call C
Minimum: exact store address and entrance, direction and time of flight, number of suspects, clothing and vehicle description, whether a weapon was seen or implied, whether the clerk is injured, whether suspects may return, and a callback number. Why: suspect direction supports a perimeter; weapon information affects approach; the clerk's locked-room location matters for rescue. Again, send the call with confirmed facts and mark unknowns clearly rather than delaying dispatch.
3. Draft a CAD narrative for Call C using only confirmed information, and note one detail you would flag as unconfirmed.
Read the worked answer
Draft narrative
'164th St, westbound flight, 2 males, one red hoodie, cash register taken, no weapon seen, clerk locked in back room, callback captured.'
Flag
'No weapon seen' is a caller observation, not a confirmed fact that no weapon exists. 'Two males' is also the caller's estimate. In CAD I would keep the narrative factual and add a caution note such as 'weapon not seen; not confirmed unarmed.' I would not label it an armed robbery or state that the suspects are definitely unarmed.