Law enforcement officers secure every single room in the exercise location to make sure there is no longer an active threat in the building. Photo by Adelia Ladson
ons? Get that out on the radio. Don’ t try and call one person, just‘ all units.’ Everybody’ s gonna be going,” she said.
She said, when the phones started ringing, they were going to try to get what information they could as soon as they could and get the units out to the incident.
“ Another problem that we have often. Don’ t call dispatch and ask them what’ s going on. We hear all the time,‘ I couldn’ t get out on the radio.’ When you can’ t get out on the radio, I probably don’ t have time to talk to you either. So listen to what’ s going on,” Warburg said.
She told the class to let the dispatchers know who they were when they called in so they could identify them and not have to tie-up more radio time by having to respond back,“ Who are you?”
One of the dispatchers in attendance asked if she could add something and asked that the officers say their badge number twice because the dispatcher may not get it the first time because they may also be on a 911 call at the same time.
“ If they ask you again and you don’ t repeat it, then, I mean, I hope you’ re okay because we don’ t know where you’ re at or who you’ re out with,” she said.
She said, if they ask them to repeat, it’ s because they need to know where they’ re at and they don’ t want to have to waste time playing back the recording so they can try to figure out where they are and what’ s going on.
She said the bottom line for her was if there is an active shooter incident, they were going to be so busy in dispatch and they would be trying to do everything they could to get everyone going and getting resources. She said she would like to get with the other agencies and see how the best way was to get in contact with them to respond to the situation.
She asked if any of her dispatchers had anything that they wanted to add and one dispatcher said,“ Your safety is our priority and if all we here is muffled and nothing, we can’ t keep you safe. We don’ t know where you are. We don’ t know where to send help to.”
Warburg told them that she had a dispatcher that would almost have a panic attack when one of the officers didn’ t answer their radio and she was going to keep calling until they did.
“ Officer unit safety is priority. That’ s our responsibility,” she said.“ We want to make sure you go home safely to your family every day.”
One of the dispatchers added that if she kept calling and couldn’ t get a hold of them, she was going to get in her car and go to where she thought they were at to make sure they were okay. This drew laughs from the class and I wondered if the officers had ever realized how responsible the dispatchers felt for them.
Warburg said she wanted to stress how important communication was and if dispatch wasn’ t being communicated with, they couldn’ t help anybody.
Moore added that communication was the most important thing in any tactical operation and communication was the first thing to break down in any tactical operation.
AUGUST 2025 MoultrieScene 43