Misinformation and negativity

S23246G · Senior Member

Misinformation and negativity

Patrick · Senior Member

S23246G wrote:
While we're on the subject of customer service... has anyone visited the Police Department lately? I went into where the dispatcher used to greet people and found the old window boarded up, and no one in sight. Then a voice from above asked me if it could help me. I looked around and saw a speaker and closed circuit video camera. I was dumbfounded. I barely managed to remeber what I had gone in there for in the first place. I felt really dumb talking to a machine instead of a person. Next thing you know, I'll have to push 1 for English or something. It felt very cold and impersonal. Is this how they intend to leave it, or is the system in a transition of some kind. I certainly hope they do not leave it like that.

I know how you feel and it may seem a little strange but there is a very good reason. The people at the southwest window (to the right) are the dispatchers, while the person at the east window is the chief's secretary and receptionist. It was decided to close off the dispatchers so they could do their job of answering calls and handling the radio and leaving the secretary/receptionist to handle people coming in during business hours. The boarded up window prevents distraction if the dispatcher, or occaisionally dispatchers, is busy with phones or radio. 911 calls are a priority but there are also situations where dispatch has to keep track of multiple situations or multiple officers on one situation.

The video and intercom lets the dispatcher know someone is in the lobby to be taken care of at first opportunity. There is also a call button on the intercom to let the dispatcher know someone is waiting.

There has been the thought to move the dispatch station over to the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for a number of reasons including to be able to remain in operation during certain emergencies. The video and intercom system would work as well from the EOC location. If the secretary/receptionist is not in (after hours, lunch, etc...) the dispatchers summon an officer which is usually what people want or need anyway. The dispatchers are not sworn officers and cannot take reports or do most of the things one might need at the police station. The dispatchers can not be overly tied up with visitors as they must be free to answer 911 calls immediately as well as the regular lines (which might also be emergencies) and keeping the flow of information on the radio.

The Police station is still open 24 hours a day. There is just a stronger line drawn between priorities. Other changes are being considered, including moving the dispatch station, to make the operation more efficient and in the end to save manpower, time and money. Some of the suggestions which have come up are to unify police and fire dispatch, move dispatch to the EOC, add an additional part time dispatcher and a few other ideas that don't come to mind at the moment.

If anyone has any suggestions on this, you might fill out one of the new suggestion forms at the city's billing office and drop it in the box near the door. Mayor Dotty Smith collects them personally and shares them with the commission at each work session. Or you are always welcome to contact me.

For the record, I get interupted quite often while writing these posts so if I forget some piece of information, have a multitude of grammatical errors, or get off point in the middle of a thought please forgive me.

Patrick McDonald
Arkansas City Commissioner

S23246G · Senior Member

I would just say that it is STILL very impersonal and cold to the general public to be greeted by a machine instead of a person. What if someone were to run inside looking for help... see no one, and run back out before the dispatcher could notice and talk to them on their machine? I personally think it was a bad decision to draw such a hard line between the public and the police. There is a pretty hard line already in this town. I would think the PD would be wanting to get closer to the people, not farther away. And I have never seen it so busy that a dispatcher wasn't able to take the time to say "I'm very busy at the moment, please have a seat and someone will be with you as soon as possible". Once people realize that they will be treated so coldly when they enter the PD, they will most likely just call them and make an officer come to them, thereby wasting the officer's time rather than a dispatcher's, if the call turns out to be nothing.
IMO Anything that makes a larger gap between the Police and the public is a bad idea. The PD used to feel like a welcoming place to me. I was personally turned completely off by the new way of doing things, and will not be stepping foot in there again unless absolutely necessary. I'm sure other will feel the same way when they encounter it.

And I know more about the working of Police and dispatch than you might think... but thanks for the lesson. ;)

Sunnyflower · Member

I have had occasion a couple of times in the past when I felt I was being followed to stop in front of and enter a Police Station.
Ark City now knows that we have had one stalker.
I don't believe that person is the *only* stalker in our area.
If the current Police Station is going to rely on somebody happening to notice that a person has entered by seeing the entry on a monitor somewhere what kind of protection is that?
Perhaps next time I feel I'm being followed I'll go to the Fire Station Instead.

saveacity · Member

you must understand the police department has much to do in a city of this size, they need closed doors and privacy to learn how to work all thier gadgets

Bill123 · Member

S23246G wrote:

And I know more about the working of Police and dispatch than you might think... but thanks for the lesson. ;)

Really! I really don't think that you would put all that Misinformation and negativity if you knew about the Dispatch. I have been in there at times and watched the dispatcher handle 3 maybe 4 911 calls and call a vehicle chase at the same time. I think you need to stop sitting behind your computer and spreading Misinformation and negativity through out the city. Have you noticed that there is only a hand full of you folks on this Traveler Talk that fight back and forth.

Arkcity911SavesLives · Newbie

I take a lot of offense to all the negativity of everyone towards the police department. The window is boarded up for the safety of our dispatchers and officers.   Arkcity has one dispatcher on duty at any given time. Our dispatchers are responsible for handling the radio traffic for our Arkcity Officers, Cowely County Sheriff Dept, all 911 lines, All non emergency and crimestoppers phone lines as well as some of the fire department dispatching. I don't know if anyone has ever stopped and thought about the demands that puts on a single person.   The board is not to be impersonable, rude or to show that ACPD does not care. It is there to provide an environment for our dispatchers to be able to do their job and focus their main attention towards the safety of our officers.
"What if someone were to run inside looking for help... see no one, and run back out before the dispatcher could notice and talk to them on their machine?"
When someone opens the door at the police station there is a doorbell that rings in the dispatch.   The closed circuit camera shows who is walking in the door. If someone comes in and needs help it is the job of the dispatcher to get someone out there to help them.
"Once people realize that they will be treated so coldly when they enter the PD, they will most likely just call them and make an officer come to them, thereby wasting the officer's time rather than a dispatcher's, if the call turns out to be nothing. "
Is a dispatchers time less valuable than an officers?   Calling in an officer to talk to someone standing in the lobby is no different than sending out an officer your house. If it is nothing, it is still nothing.   That is what officers do, take reports and protect the city.

I guess all in all it comes down to this. The board is for the safety of the officers. It only takes a second of distraction for a dispatcher to miss a vital piece of traffic that could mean life or death for any officer at any time. That is the reality of it. I don't think ACPD put up the board to push away the public. They are still there to answer all your questions and concerns.

This board is creating a heck of a lot of negativity, I don't think that the negativity of the town should be blamed on the customer service of the city employees. Have you paid attention to what you have been posting? Don't you think some of the blame should be on yourselves. hmm

S23246G · Senior Member

S23246G wrote:

And I know more about the working of Police and dispatch than you might think... but thanks for the lesson. ;)

Bill123 wrote:

Really! I really don't think that you would put all that Misinformation and negativity if you knew about the Dispatch. I have been in there at times and watched the dispatcher handle 3 maybe 4 911 calls and call a vehicle chase at the same time. I think you need to stop sitting behind your computer and spreading Misinformation and negativity through out the city. Have you noticed that there is only a hand full of you folks on this Traveler Talk that fight back and forth.

How long have you been in Law Enforcement Bill123? What year did you graduate the academy?

Everything I have posted has been truthfull to the best of my knowledge and experience, and I have never knowingly spread misinformation. If I have been wrong about something, then I would be glad to step up say so if someone were to prove me wrong. I am human, and I see things from my own point of view, not yours. Is everyone going to agree on everything in life? No, of course not.

If I seem negative, it's because I have a negative view of many things... I also have a positive view of many things... but the things that are going right don't need to be discussed, now do they. Having attention brought to negative issues is how change for the better occurs.

P.S. "is" and "are" are not interchangeable.

abc123 · Veteran Member

From what I am reading we now expect to have dispatch moved to the basement of the city building? What another thought provoking endeavor, it wasn't that log ago we moved it out of the city building to it's current location. Well that was done as a project by a former Cheif of Police. Our tax money must last longer than the whims of any one particular public employee.

abc123 · Veteran Member

The current location was and has been a good choice and location, some of our public employees prefer to hide themselves, the front door may be locked next time anyone wishes to step inside.

Patrick · Senior Member

Sunnyflower wrote:

I have had occasion a couple of times in the past when I felt I was being followed to stop in front of and enter a Police Station.
Ark City now knows that we have had one stalker.
I don't believe that person is the *only* stalker in our area.
If the current Police Station is going to rely on somebody happening to notice that a person has entered by seeing the entry on a monitor somewhere what kind of protection is that?
Perhaps next time I feel I'm being followed I'll go to the Fire Station Instead.

There is a call button on the intercom to let them know you are there if you need immediate attention. Unless there are several things going on at a time you would be noticed on the monitor anyway.

Patrick · Senior Member

saveacity wrote:

you must understand the police department has much to do in a city of this size, they need closed doors and privacy to learn how to work all thier gadgets

I'm assuming you are not making a game of the negativity (as described in the private letter) but perhaps don't realize that our police dispatchers answer all of the 911 calls for half the county (police, sheriff, fire, ambulance, etc...). Police and Sheriff in the south half of the county are handled by Ark City dispatch all of the time. Almost all fire and ambulance calls come through the dispatch first and switch over to fire department after they start on their way. The dispatchers also answer the regular lines as many emergencies come there too.

Patrick McDonald

redd rover · Senior Member

Bill123,
I am not sure what SG was saying was the dispatch was incompetent. He knows they can handle many things that are thrown on them. It appeared to me he wasn't faulting the dispatchers personally. He was faulting the decision to board up the window. He has a right to his opinion. Just as you do. And I do. With these forums, you have no idea what each poster personally has experienced regarding each topic. Some are more knowledgable than you think. Even if there are some that think you are misinformed. They don't always know.

Bill123 · Member

Sunnyflower wrote:

I have had occasion a couple of times in the past when I felt I was being followed to stop in front of and enter a Police Station.
Ark City now knows that we have had one stalker.
I don't believe that person is the *only* stalker in our area.
If the current Police Station is going to rely on somebody happening to notice that a person has entered by seeing the entry on a monitor somewhere what kind of protection is that?
Perhaps next time I feel I'm being followed I'll go to the Fire Station Instead.

What can the dispatcher do! I don't think officers sit around and wait for people to walk in. She/He will have to call in an officer. Use your head! Ever been to other towns big or small. You don't see the dispatcher, you pick up a phone! Gohead and go to the Fire Station, they are sleeping and you can get in.

S23246G · Senior Member

redd rover wrote:

Bill123,
I am not sure what SG was saying was the dispatch was incompetent. He knows they can handle many things that are thrown on them. It appeared to me he wasn't faulting the dispatchers personally. He was faulting the decision to board up the window. He has a right to his opinion. Just as you do. And I do. With these forums, you have no idea what each poster personally has experienced regarding each topic. Some are more knowledgable than you think. Even if there are some that think you are misinformed. They don't always know.

That is correct. I NEVER stated that the dispatchers or Officers in AC were incompetent, and I would appreciate words not being attributed to me if they were not written by me. I have great respect for the Dispatchers AND most of the Officers who work in Ark City, many of whom I know and have known. I simply stated that walking into dispatch and seeing no one was cold and impersonal. I stand by that. I have never seen a dispatch where you were not greeted by someone. Maybe I am old school, I don't know. In my opinion, I find it cold and impersoanl, and I will not go there anymore.

And someone asked if I felt a dispatchers time was any less valuable than an Officers. Yes I do. Does that make me a bad person? The Chief must share my opinion, since the dispatchers are paid far less than Officers, and thereby less of our tax dollars are at work when they answer a question as opposed to an officer.

S23246G · Senior Member

abc123 wrote:
From what I am reading we now expect to have dispatch moved to the basement of the city building? What another thought provoking endeavor, it wasn't that log ago we moved it out of the city building to it's current location. Well that was done as a project by a former Cheif of Police. Our tax money must last longer than the whims of any one particular public employee.

The current location was and has been a good choice and location, some of our public employees prefer to hide themselves, the front door may be locked next time anyone wishes to step inside.

Is that negativity I smell?

redd rover · Senior Member

Arkcity911SavesLives wrote:
This board is creating a heck of a lot of negativity, I don't think that the negativity of the town should be blamed on the customer service of the city employees. Have you paid attention to what you have been posting? Don't you think some of the blame should be on yourselves. hmm

Arkcity911, I don't believe this board is what is causing the negativity. The negativity is there, the board is just revealing it. Yes, there may be some blame of our own for this negativity. But it seems it is also difficult for the city employees and commission to accept blame as well. No one ever wants to be critisized. A citizen, or a public employee. How else do you improve unless you know where the problem areas are? True some of the comments are harsh. But, if you are the public servant I believe you are, you can take those comments. It is common for negative comments to fly by you on a daily basis. And you shrug them off. Or you learn from them. Why is this forum any different? There isn't one person on this forum that wouldn't be glad to see you when they had their back to the wall. But there are ways of doing ones job that can be pleasing to the public. I don't care what job you have, police,fire,trash collection, meter reader, there are ways of serving the public that can create positive waves. When you are a public servant, the citizens are who you work for, in a round about way. No all the blame of the negativity in this city does not fall on the city employees. Some of it falls on commissions past. And public servants past. I think the goal now is to identify what the problem areas are, and work on them. It sounds like the new city manager may be ready to indentify some of those areas, and with a strong hand he may be able to guide the city out of this.

wow · Member

I am sorry that you have such a negative attitude towards the City of Arkansas City and especially the police department. A lot of good things have happened at the police department under the new chief. Its just like anything else nobody likes change. The officers of the Arkansas City Police Department are truly a wonderful group of individuals that will do anything for anybody in this town.

Patrick · Senior Member

abc123 wrote:

From what I am reading we now expect to have dispatch moved to the basement of the city building? What another thought provoking endeavor, it wasn't that log ago we moved it out of the city building to it's current location. Well that was done as a project by a former Cheif of Police. Our tax money must last longer than the whims of any one particular public employee.

I don't know about any "expectations", but we are always looking at ways of being more efficient. The Police Dept had to move several years ago as their department, emergency services, and some of administration had run out of room.

There are a number of ideas that are being looked into including merging police and fire dispatch completely, merging dispatch with the Emergency Operations Center, and a few others that don't come to mind at the moment. Each of these things came up as a measure to become more efficient and to reduce costs. At this time these are just ideas that have been proposed and there is not enough information to make any kind of decision yet.

Patrick McDonald

Bill123 · Member

S23246G wrote:

How long have you been in Law Enforcement Bill123? What year did you graduate the academy?

Dear SG,

Actually I am a member of Civil Defense if you must know! I am out in MY community being actively involved and not sitting behind a computer arm chair quarter backing everything.. I am trying to make the community better by being involved and helping where I can. You are not helping things by being so negative, especially in areas you are not qualified in. I am sure the ACPD did this for a reason. For all you know the State of Kansas or some type of law requires the dispatchers to be protected.
P.S. If you feel sitting behind a computer is being actively involved and making things better. Better think again!!

Sincerely
?

redd rover · Senior Member

This is a private message I recently was sent from Commissioner Mcdonald. This was in regard to the post on the watering plan I made praising the city for implimenting it. I will share.

Mcdonald wrote:
The watering plan was in effect before the first editorials on watering the plants. Foss Farrar wrote about it five days before the editorials. The ladies were using hoses on a roll from the intersection towards the middle. The fact that you didn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't happening. As I explained on other posts the distress of the plants was caused by the replanting and the weather (high wind and too much rain) rather than lack of water. It just took time for them to recover and for some to be replanted.

The truck is not a new idea, but it has the problem of being in traffic. It is a matter of liability vs. ease of use. The trick is going to be to water when there is the least amount of traffic. They are still working on improving this system. It hasn't been decided that this is definitely the right answer either but it is looking very good.

Just wanted to make sure you had the facts. I'm sure you didn't mean to, but spreading wrong information has become a very popular game among people lately. You might even have noticed that some people seem to enjoy making things seem much worse than they are. I wanted to be sure and let you know in private so people wouldn't think I were accusing you of spreading negative information.

I do appreciate all comments and share anything new with the other commissioners and the city manager. It helps in what people see or perceive, as well as sometimes bringing new things to our attention.

I look forward to hearing more from you on the posts.

Patrick McDonald

Dear Mr Mcdonald,
I realize that many of us in this area may have a negative attitude about this city. And yes, even I do. This was not somthing that just happened. I was born and raised here. This is an area I loved. This attitude came from contact with local city entities that has caused my changed demeanor. Just as many of my fellow posters have had negative contact with these entities. Whether it be code enforcement, or the local PD. It may have been the water department or one of the city crews. Like the survey said. It could boil down to customer service issues. I agree that some training on customer service would be an excellent idea. Right down to management. If there has been some mis information on this forum you certainly have done a good job of squelching it. I hope you continue to use this form of communication for further contact with the citizens. As most would agree, it is always best to get information straight from the horses.....mouth.

S23246G · Senior Member

Bill123 wrote:

S23246G wrote:

How long have you been in Law Enforcement Bill123? What year did you graduate the academy?

Dear SG,

Actually I am a member of Civil Defense if you must know! I am out in MY community being actively involved and not sitting behind a computer arm chair quarter backing everything.. I am trying to make the community better by being involved and helping where I can. You are not helping things by being so negative, especially in areas you are not qualified in. I am sure the ACPD did this for a reason. For all you know the State of Kansas or some type of law requires the dispatchers to be protected.
P.S. If you feel sitting behind a computer is being actively involved and making things better. Better think again!!

Sincerely
?

Civil Defense huh? Me not qualified? I spent many years in Law Enforcement, and went through many (MANY!) doors that would make you tinkle in your dickies Mr. Civil Defense, so don't try to tell me I'm not QUALIFIED to give an OPINION on the way Police Departments should interact with the public. When you've kicked in as many meth lab doors as I have, THEN you can talk down to me!