PLAINSBORO TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT

GENERAL ORDER

Subject: Public Safety
Communications Officer –
Duty Manual
Number: 2.14 / Effective Date:
6/24/04 / Revision
Date:
8/11/06 / Page
1, 4 / Section / Approv.
By:
Calea Standard(s) / Reference: / 4/7/08
10/30/09 / All
App. A & B
NJ Accreditation
Standard(s) / # of Pages:
25
Source: / Distribution: I
Issuing Authority / Chief of Police

I.Purpose

To establish the duty obligations for the Public Safety Communications Officers in PlainsboroTownship.

See attached manual.

PLAINSBORO TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER (P.S.C.O.)

DUTY MANUAL

G.O. 2.14

This manual contains the duty obligations of Public Safety Communications within the Plainsboro Township Police Department.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMUNICATIONSCENTER

The Patrol Lieutenant of the Police Department shall have overall responsibility for the CommunicationsCenter and the Communications personnel.

The on-duty Public Safety Communications Officer (PSCO) shall be responsible for the daily proper and efficient operation of the CommunicationsCenter (See Authority and Responsibility of the PSCO).

Communications and sworn personnel shall not depart from the established policies and procedures established herein. Unusual situations will be referred to the officer-in-charge for decisions.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office 9-1-1 policy is made part of this General Order and supersedes any area where conflict between the CountyPolicy and Department Policy may exist. All 9-1-1 certified personnel are responsible to be familiar with the CountyPolicy, a copy of which shall be maintained on the PowerDMS software and in the CommunicationsCenter in an appropriately marked binder.

CONFIDENTIALITY

In accordance with Department Rules and Regulations, Communications personnel shall not divulge any information except with specific authorization. The duty of the Public Safety Communications Officer (P.S.C.O.) is to secure sufficient information for the prompt dispatch of emergency services personnel.

OPERATIONS

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)

The CAD system will enable the PSCO to:

  1. Immediately enter incidents into the data base
  2. Have immediate access to a duty roster of officers
  3. Have immediate access to incident/call information
  4. Monitor the status of all field and HQ units

Upon receiving a request for police or emergency services of any kind, the PSCO shall obtain, if possible:

  1. The name of the caller.
  2. The address and telephone number of the caller.
  3. The location of the incident(s).
  4. The type of incident(s).
  5. Any other information the PSCO deems necessary for the safe and efficient response of emergency units.

Upon entering the incident(s) into the CAD system, the PSCO will be able to assign it a unique identification number, dispatch the appropriate emergency unit(s), record the on-going status of all assigned units, and record a final disposition on the incident(s). All CAD transactions are automatically time/date stamped.

If the incident is self-initiated by a field unit, the officer will be recorded as the complainant.

Vehicle Codes – Vehicles are assigned prefixes in the 800 series.

Marked patrol units – 801 thru 820

Unmarked units -850 series

Personnel Codes – Personnel are assigned codes dependent upon rank:

Command staff – 300 series (Beginning with "3" then badge #).

Patrol Officers – 500 series ("5" then badge #)

Sergeants - 700 series ("7" then badge #)

EMS staff - 400 series (410 series for full-time, 450 series for per diem)

P.S.C.O. - D series (Assigned according to seniority)

Assignment Protocol – Officers and personnel log into service via vehicle and personnel codes. However, vehicle codes are only utilized for maintenance and availability purposes. When dispatching units, dispatch according to personnel code, not vehicle assignment. (ex: 710, plain English, College Rd.).

Telephone Operation

The Plainsboro Township Police Department maintains 24-hour telephone coverage for emergency services within our jurisdiction. Additionally, the Department participates in the 9-1-1 emergency system, and calls may be received toll-free from all pay phones.

The Communications Officer is the basic link with the frightened, confused or indignant public when you answer the telephone. A clearly understood, calm, firm, decisive and courteous voice serves to placate and calm the caller. Remember, the conversation is as important as a face-to-face visit. Courtesy is the keynote.

  1. Answer promptly. Treat each call as an emergency. To the caller, every ring is an eternity. Attempt to answer all calls within three (3) rings. Every telephone call shall be answered as promptly as conditions permit. If several calls are incoming simultaneously, prior to placing any call on ‘hold’ ask, ‘Do you have an emergency/’.
  1. Identify the department and yourself. It calms the caller and reassures them that they have reached the police department. Answer ‘Plainsboro Township Police Department’, followed by surname and title. This response should be brief, positive and businesslike, never brusque. When answering the telephone, you are answering for the Township and its government. The entire Township will be judged by the courtesy and degree of professionalism utilized when answering the telephone and/or utilizing the radio. When answering internal telephones, answer ‘Police communications’, followed by surname and title.
  1. Speak distinctly. A calm, competent and decisive and courteous voice which does not waste time repeating information will assure the caller of prompt action. Take charge of the conversation.

After the initial exchange of pertinent information, maintain a courteous but firm attitude, cut off superfluous wording by ‘fact finding’: who, what, where and when. Advise the caller that something will be done immediately or as soon as conditions permit.

  1. Write down all pertinent information concerning the incident, including the callers name, address and the telephone number they are calling from. Never trust anything to memory. If the caller is panicked and unable to provide the information in a coherent manner, or the caller disconnects, remember to utilize the instant call recorder, but do not rely upon it. Caller ID units should display the caller’s number, but the number may be blocked, out of area or otherwise unavailable.
  1. Show interest in the caller. To them their call is very important, and items that are insignificant to you may be of vital importance to the caller. The telephone is the citizen’s primary means of access to emergency services.
  1. Explain waits and delays when checking things or transferring calls to another extension. A caller awaiting decisive action who has to hang onto a dead telephone for a long period of time becomes irritable and uncooperative.
  1. Terminate calls positively and courteously. Make sure that the caller is aware of your intentions on the matter.
  1. Thank the caller for contacting the Department about their concerns.
  1. Incoming calls determined to be of a non-emergency nature may be placed on ‘hold’ if it is necessary to answer other incoming calls.

Non-emergency calls placed on ‘hold’ shall again be answered in order of first answered, except that a transfer may be first completed.

Briefly explain to the caller whenever you find it necessary to transfer a call or place it on ‘hold’.

  1. When transferring a call of a difficult or sensitive nature, the person to whom the call is being transferred should first be informed of the nature of the call.
  1. Misdirected calls:

Emergency – Take all necessary information from the caller and contact the proper agency via telephone or radio and relay the information. Keep the caller on the line until the situation is resolved or the proper agency arrives on the scene to accept responsibility for the call. When appropriate and practical, provide pre-arrival instruction to the caller.

Non-emergency – Advise the caller that they have reached the wrong agency and provide the appropriate contact number, if available. Transfer the call to the appropriate agency or department, if possible.

All calls received on the 9-1-1 system must be handled in accordance with the proper 9-1-1 protocols, as outlined in the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office 9-1-1 Policy. A copy of this policy shall be maintained on the PowerDMS software and in the dispatch center in an appropriately marked binder.

Use of Recorders

All communications, radio, telephone, 9-1-1, MDT and NCIC are recorded in some manner for later review and/or analysis. The primary concern of the PSCO is the radio and telephone recorders. These instruments serve as both a ready resource and a record of what was said, and occurred. The recording devices that directly affect PSCO's are:

Freedom System– The immediate playback feature of the Freedom System is available to the PSCO and can be used to access and review the radio communications between the CommunicationsCenter and the field units and 9-1-1 calls. This feature is used to recapture missed or garbled information. Information is kept for a minimum of one (1) year.

Dictaphone Playback Recorder – This recorder is used for immediate replay of the last few minutes of any telephone calls coming into or out of HQ. Its primary use for the PSCO is to review incoming calls to capture or reconstruct missed or garbled information.

Police Department Telephone Numbers

Police Department employees are required by regulation to provide a telephone number where they can be reached. A list of such numbers will be kept in the CommunicationsCenter and updated annually. All such information is considered confidential, and shall not be released to anyone other than a police department employee without specific permission of the Chief of Police.

If it is necessary for someone to contact a department employee you may:

  1. Obtain the requestors’ name, telephone number and message, if any.
  2. Call the employee whose number was requested and relay the requestors’ message and number. Speak only to the employee, not to a member of the family.
  3. If the employee is not at home, if possible, leave a message to call the PSCO.

Transferring Calls

There is a voicemail system used by the Department to assist callers and eliminate a percentage of calls which arrive at Dispatch. When calls arrive at Dispatch and need to be transferred, they should be handled as follows:

In-house – Depress the ‘Cnf/Trn’ button and dial the extension, then hang up.

Voice Mail – Depress the ‘Cnf/Trn’ button and dial ‘850’. When the Township offices greeting comes on the line dial the officers’ badge number (use 9 for #'s 44 and above—ex: 944 instead of 544) and hang up.

Calls should not be transferred to the office of the Chief of Police, Records or any municipal office. Calls to the Chief of Police shall be transferred to the administrative assistant staff. Callers for Records or other municipal offices shall be provided with the correct direct dial telephone number.

The Police Radio System

The Federal Communications Commission (F.C.C.), Rules and Regulations, Part 90, Police Radio Services licenses the emergency radio systems in the Township of Plainsboro. The license is prominently displayed in the CommunicationsCenter as per regulation.

In accordance with duty requirements, all on-duty officers, uniformed and non-uniformed, are required to maintain radio communications with the CommunicationsCenter at all times, except:

  1. When the possession or use of a police radio would endanger the officer, or
  2. Compromise the integrity of an on-going investigation.

Channel Selection

The radio system is shared by the following agencies: Police, Fire, Rescue, Public Works and Emergency Management. The radios utilized are programmed in the following manner:

Police Mobile Radios

Channel 1 – Police

Channel 2 – Fire and Rescue

Channel 3 – Township (Community /Develop, etc.)

Channel 4 – Police Talk Around (not heard in CommunicationsCenter)

Channel 5 – Dept of Public Works and Building Dept.

Channel 6 – West Windsor P.D.

Channel 7 – Cranbury P.D.

Police Portable Radios

Channel 1 – Police

Channel 2 – Fire and Rescue

Channel 3 – Township

Channel 4 – Police Talk Around

Channel 5 – Dept. of Public Works

Fire and Rescue Squad Radios

Channel 1 – Police

Channel 2 – Fire and Rescue

All agencies operate on their own channels for normal traffic conditions. The PSCO will have the police channel in the ‘select’ channel at all times and will be monitored through the ‘select’ speaker. The other channels will not necessarily be in the ‘select’ channel, but the volume controls will be set so all transmissions on unselected channels will be heard on the ‘unselect’ speaker at all times. If transmissions need to be made to Fire and Rescue, the appropriate channel should be selected.

If a field unit is dispatched to a fire or rescue scene, the field unit should switch to channel 2 and communicate directly regarding conditions at the scene. There is no need for the field unit to communicate through the CommunicationsCenter.

However, once the necessary information has been relayed to the fire/rescue units, the police field unit should switch back to channel 1. All communication with police field units should be through the CommunicationsCenter unless requested otherwise by the Fire Chief or rescue commander.

If there is any question as to which channel (frequency) is to be utilized by police field units, the PSCO will select the frequency and advise all units. In such cases, the PSCO should periodically announce to all responders via multi-select the channel to be utilized.

When communicating on a channel that is in use at an emergency or disaster scene, care must be taken not to transmit while the channel is in use.

At the scene of a wide spread emergency or disaster when the Emergency Management Coordinator is present, they will determine which channels will be utilized for primary communications. Generally, the police channels will be kept clear for use by the police field units, but other channels may be designated for use by coordinated emergency services. In some cases, the RACES low power radio may be used to coordinate these services.

SPEN

The SPEN (Statewide Police Emergency Network) radio may be used if directed by the State or Local Emergency Management Coordinator.

The SPEN system is on at all times. It enables the PSCO to communicate with any other department statewide, and with the State Police Control Point. In addition to its’ emergency management function, SPEN is used to:

  1. Inform the PSCO of serious in-progress crimes in adjacent or nearby jurisdictions.
  2. Coordinate and assist officers from other agencies operating in or near PlainsboroTownship
  3. To call for and receive assistance from law enforcement agencies in the area
  4. Coordinate planned or spontaneous activities that require multiple-agency cooperation.

The SPEN system may be cross-patched to police field units to enable closer cooperation during emergencies. To patch a field unit to SPEN, select patch, then select enable, then select the #1. "PAT #1 CCR" will appear above the select button on the patched channels.

Basic Radio Procedures

All officers and PSCO's shall strictly observe FCC regulations when operating Department radio equipment.

Reliability and promptness are the keynotes of a good communications officer. However, reliability should not be sacrificed for speed. Learning and applying the techniques in this procedure will help equalize speed and reliability.

  1. Do not display undue emotion by words or voice inflection that reflect or indicate sarcasm, disgust or imitation.
  2. Use proper codes or approved radio language at all times.
  3. Do not speak too closely to the microphone. You should speak from a distance of 6”-8” from the microphone. Also be careful not to speak from too great a distance, or to shout into the microphone.
  4. When calling a field unit, wait an acceptable time for a response.
  5. Speak clearly and distinctly at a speed of 40-60 words per minute to enable field units to easily copy information.
  6. Immediately acknowledge a field unit and, if busy, advise them to ‘stand by’ or transmit an alert tone when applicable. Any delay of at least an initial response to a field unit is unacceptable.
  7. The use of ‘thank you’, ‘please’ or ‘be advised’ is not desirable as it uses valuable airtime. Courtesy can be expressed by the tone of your voice.
  8. Be impersonal on the air. This station is not licensed for person-to-person conversations.
  9. Do not guess – never acknowledgea transmission until you are sure that the message is correct in every detail.

Due to the nature of two-way radio communication and the manner in which it is used, there will be occasions when you do not receive a satisfactory or understandable transmission from a field unit. Some possible causes for this are:

  1. Weak signal- characterized by hissing and popping sound overriding the voice.
  2. More than one field unit transmitting at once.
  3. Operator speaks before depressing the microphone switch thereby cutting off the first part of the transmission.
  4. Microphone picking up background noises such as a siren.
  5. Defective radio equipment or low battery.
  6. PSCO distracted or busy with other duties, thereby missing all or part of the transmission.

Radio Repeat Requests - When a transmission not clear or understandable, the PSCO should check the Freedom System, and then call the unit and request that the transmission should be repeated.

If the transmission is still not clear and understandable, and the cause is correctable, advise the field unit of the problem and request an alternate means of communications, such as telephone, MDT, or portable radio. It may be necessary for the field unit to change location, or speak more clearly/slowly.

Incident Information - The PSCO must exercise common sense and discretion in dispatching a call to assure that additional, pertinent information is given to the field unit, depending upon the nature of the incident:

  1. Description of suspect(s).
  2. Description of vehicle(s) and direction of travel.
  3. Weapons involved, shots fired, physical attack, etc.

When field units are actively engaged in an incident requiring vital unit-to-unit communication (building search, foot and vehicle pursuits, hold up alarms, etc.), stay off the air and keep radio channels clear unless you have important and timely information critical to the incident(s). Advise all other units to keep the radio channels clear whenever possible.