An Inside Look at the Walnut Creek Police Department Dispatch System

"911. What is your emergency?"

The Walnut Creek Police dispatch system handles emergency phone calls placed within the city limits of Walnut Creek. Operating out of the Police Department's headquarters in City Hall, three individuals field calls from students to seniors with emergencies.

It's a stressful job, especially when the dispatch center is short-staffed.

"Not everybody can do this, not everyone is cut out for it," said Alicia Williams, a seven-year veteran. "The call center is staffed 24-7, including holidays and weekends."

Not every caller provides the proper and necessary information. Emergency calls from cell phones are especially difficult.

"All calls from cell phones are problematic because they don't always go to the right [dispatch center]," said Williams. "They don't always give an exact location."

The accuracy of cell phone locations can vary greatly based on many factors. 

"Cell phones give the longitude and latitude, and can either give a pretty exact location or be completely off," she said. "It's all based on the technology the wireless carrier is using."

Basically, cell phone calls are sorted into three categories: E-911, Phase One and Phase Two. E-911 calls provide a location that is a 100-150 meter radius. Phase One has a smaller radius while Phase Two is the most accurate type of call, providing up to a 16-meter radius with 95 percent accuracy.

Williams explained that cell phone calls sometimes can connect to the California Highway Patrol, which can be costly in terms of time when it's a life-or-death situation.

"It all depends on the tower the cell phone is connected to," she said. "Once the CHP gets the call and decides that it isn't their jurisdiction, they transfer the call to another dispatch center."

 CHP calls often end up in Vallejo, the closest dispatch center.

Just as frustrating are the accidental 911 pocket dials or prank calls.

"A lot of time it's adults, and their phone has a speed dial function to 911," said Williams.

A dispatch caller then has to follow up to ensure that there wasn't an emergency call that was disconnected. Misuse of 911 is an infraction punishable by fines of up to $1,000, six months in jail or both.

"Not all calls that come in are emergencies. Alarm companies call in, abandoned vehicle calls, solicitor calls, complaints, accidents, debris in the street — we've had it all," said Williams.

Dispatching emergency personnel in a time of crisis is no easy task. Throughout the course of the year, the volume of calls can vary greatly. 

"It can be stressful at times. We work 10 hours a day," she said. "Commute times tend to be a lot busier for different reasons. Accidents tend to come in the morning and afternoons, and weekend nights tend to be busier for nighttime activity. Summer is busier than winter when people are out and about later due to warmer weather."

With the current evolution of technology, the Walnut Creek dispatch system has seen major changes in its annually updated computer aided dispatch system.

"The goal of the updates is to make things faster and easier," said Williams. 

Currently, a dispatch worker picks up an emergency call and enters critical information into the CAD system, such as the address and phone number of the person calling. Another dispatch officer working the radio dispatch relays the information to officers as the information is taken from the caller in real time. Walnut Creek is broken into three sectors, and there is an officer in each of the three sectors at any given time.

In 2011, Contra Costa County cities are looking forward to a countywide radio system that can provide police officers and medical teams with constant contact when an emergency can require a large number of personnel.  

On busy days in Walnut Creek, calls are dispatched based on priority, with a murder ranking first and abandoned vehicles ranking ninth. This system keeps the calls organized and ensures that emergencies are taken care of as they occur. 

For the Walnut Creek dispatch department, it has not been budget cuts that have affected it—it's the staffing. The department has the budget for 14 positions but only 12 positions are filled because of turnover. 

"Adequate staffing would be a huge step toward making it an easier place to thrive in," said Williams. "Vacation time and days off are sometimes denied."

This story originally ran in Las Lomas High's The Page student newspaper.