POLICY ANO PROCEDURES
Bureau of Communications and Property Control
Communicat ions Control Section
~at~: Jull' s, 201~
I Effective Date: Jull' 5, 2D_13~-Sub ect: Call Takm Ptocedwre.s
Classificat ion: Call Taki r _
1
£' age 1 of
Relat~~~ Rescindp
§ ~ ,?.912} 05
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I No. 2013-04 1
Autho nt :·~-·-

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Substantive changes to 2012-05 are it7 bol d Italics

PURPOSE: To establish basic guidelines related to the answering and fiandling of
incoming calls to CCS.
POLICY: It is the· poHcy of the C9rnmunications Control Section to receive andhandle
calls for service promptly, efficiently and expedltiovsly, with the ut most concern for the
safety and well-be.ing of cifizens and police.
. PROCEDURES:

I.

Answer prompt!~ . Personnel shall answer all police telephones promptly.

II.

Identify yourself .
A. Personne l shall answer 621-'i234 telephone line by stating :
"Cleveland Police, r.:;1nl<.
., last name. How may we help you?"

B. 9-'1-1 lines shall be answered by stating:

"9-1~1,what is your emerge ncy? Police? Fire? Or Amb ulance?"
If the call is for police. identify yourself as "Cleveland Police, rank,
last name. how may we help you?"
1. When transferring calls to Fire or EMS state: "Stay on the line while I

transfer your call to (Fire/EMS.)"
2. Disconnect from the call once it is transferred, and you heat the caller
con versi ng with Fire/ EMS unless it ls necessary to continue wlth the
caller when Fire/ EM'S is through. Irr these instances advise the caller o.f
your inte nt whi,e the transfer is gai n~ through.

3. The CJevel~nd O'ivis:ion of Police, Communications Control. Section shall
qet h'e put,lic ,safety answeringpt>int {.PSAP)forihe city of Clevel~nd c1nd

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Subject: Call Taking Pro·cedur,~s

j

Pag_
e 2 of 5

the city of Linndale . 9-1-1 callers requestingpolice service in Linndal e
shall be transferred to Linndale Police via the pre-programmed
"Linndale 11 button on the calltaker 's Positron equ ipment. l..lm1da/e
residents requesting EMS or the Fire Department shall be transfer red
to Cleveland EMSIF/re via the Positron equipment.
C.

m.

The Division 's Manual of Rules and Regulations req uires all
employee s to furnisl1 their name, rank and badge number to any
person that requests it (Rule 4.13).

pis.slay Coµrtesy and Professiona lism
A.

Use appropriate tone and manner of speech. Avoid using
industry jargon and abbreviations whe n speaking . to the g:eneral
publio.

B.

Show inter e$t in the call er. Use ''sir", "ma'am"
., 11Mr.", ''Ms.'1, wh'i!e
talking with the citizen. Tert.hs of endearmentare n'ot a:ccepta.bJ!:;'.
Avoid vocal inflections or sounds such as heavysighs that convey
boredQm,.indlfference. bt frustration.

C.

Cont rol the eall . Take charge ,0f the conversatlon by ga,idingthe
ca.lierthrough the ·information gathering prooeslj:i
. Get the
in the shortest possible time.
responses you 11.e-ed

D.

Explain hold$, pause~ and c;tel~y$. Provide the caller with
rear=;ons
for holds and other delays. If you are busy entering. a
caller 's inforrn atron lnto the CAD system - lat them know.

E.

Remain c.atn1and pof.ite, n(':)verlosing your tem per Do not
attemp t to salve or mediate the ca ller 's problem.

F.

Provide and Expla in Referral$ when caller's request s can be
better handled by agencies outside of the realm of public sa·fet y.
Keep in mind that othe r options and services can be suggested but
never gi v e legal or unsolicited adv ice . Do not offer specific
business names (i.e . tow comp anies such as K & M).

G.

Never argue with the caller and avoid being a part of the problem.
Keeping you r emotlons in check will help to minimize any nega tive

esc·alation of the caller's Issues.
H.

Be sensitive to the needs and concerns of the caJler. Show empathy
and caring for the victims and complainants you have ocmtsct wit h.

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

ISubject:
IV.

Call Taking Procedures

! Page 3 of 5_

Gath$ring E}jtsic Resp,om~einformation .

A.

Wher e is the incident occurri ng or where are the police needed? Locat ion
of tha incide nt: up , down , inside, outside , desc ription of premise? What is
the full , correct address or intersection? If the caller is unsure of their
location can they provide you with a landmark or a business name see n

on a sign nearby?
B.

The CAD 'AN I/A lf ' button shall be pressed each time a 9-1- 1 call is
received . Verify ALL 9-1- 1 information with the c~ller. Do not

assume that the Positron information is correct. The ANI/ALI
information shall be left on the event torrn. Changes shall be made as
needed to 'Coincidewith information gathe red from the caller. For
ex~mple: removing the tE:J
II prov.ider's name and replacing Lt with the riar ne
·
qf the · actua l caller.
C,

Ask 'for callback informat ion (name, phone number) on all calls
re'Ce1vedon 621-1234 Hne. Enter info obta ined into the incident.

0.

When advised of an incident by Cleveland Fire/fl/VI$, obtain the
contact information for the r,rigina,I Cil.llar. .Attempt tQ make contact
with this caller to obtain ·additional information

and add ihe info to

the im;ident .
E.

F.

V.

Caller identity is voluntary and a request fo r anonymity will not
prectude police respo nse.
1.

Calltakers shall clear ly indic~t~ a caller' s request to remain
anonymous in the 'Re marks' section of the CAD event.

2.

Dispatchers shall commun icate a callers wish to remain
anonymo us to responding officers . Officer inquiries related
to the identity of a caller shall be referred to a CCS
supe rvisor.

When unable to obta in a caller's name, note the sex of the cs lier in the
'Remarks' section of the event. (Examples include, but are not limited to ,
phone dis·connections or comp lainant pulled from phone)

De.termir.ie Immediate or Addit ional Res.ponse Needs
A.

Mak~ notifications to resp,zind
ing agencfes as sooh ·~s pr~ctlcable..
1.

For ser1ou~
injury, there shall r,e mio imym dela~ prror to·
connecting the Ga.Ilerto or notifying EMS . Obtain the basic

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

ISubject : Call Taking

] Page 4 of 5

Procedures

Information needed to .send polloe such as location, suspect
whereabouts, and a general description.
2.

VI.

When transferring the· caller to EM$ ·, calltaker may remain an the
line· and resume questioning after .e.MS is completed with the caller .
.Advise calle r of your inten t while th"ecall is transferrins.

B.

Is imyon~ injured? How ma.ny? rs an ambulance need.ed?

C,

Is t_he Ftre Division needed

D.

Is there a hazardous condition such cisa f reeway accid .ent or
obstruction? Live Wires? Vicious animal?

Logic@IIVord~r. the
info in the CAD nRemarl<s." ;;ectlon.
. .. - - - .
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A.
B.
C.

What occurred or is occurring?

When did it occur?
Who is involved?
1.

Is the suspect(s) on scene or gone? (obtain specific location;
if gone) obta in direction of travel)

2.

3.

Clothing description and physical charac teri stics: sex, race,
age, height. we ight , glasses, facial hair, scars, marks,
tattoos?
a.

Descriptions are not restricted to suspects . Obtain
descriptions of other part ies involved when applicab le.

b.

List clothing logi~ally: top to bottom, outside to in.

Veh icle involved?

Use CYMBALS: golor, year . DJ~ke. !2,ady

styl01 gdditia nar info, license,§.tate
4.

VII.

Weapon info (type, description, location)

Initiate the.!ucident. 1.ncid.ents shall b~ tr~insmittedto the appropri·ate dispatch
chan·n~I in an expeditioµs rn.ann¢r, With critical incidents, obtai.n the basic
information and immediately sendthe ili forrnatidnto the dispatche·r. Infomi the
caller that you mu$t ask a few more. q_
uestions, advising them that this w ill not
de lay tlw info rmation being sent to a dispatcher 0r the respondfng zone car.
Gontlnue to gather per'tlt1entinformation on the-critical call and update the
i11i:
ld1:ntas needed,.
A.

Use your CAD incident type matrix and definitions to. assist with
coding (assigning type and priority) of incidents. CoMult with a
CCS superv isor if unsure of wh~t incident type and/or priority to
make an inc ident.

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

I Subject:

VIII.

Call Taking Procedures

J

·P'age 5 of 5

B.

Use the CAD 'Nature' field' to prov.Id
e a br1Mexplanation of why
police are needed. This field is not to ~e used instead of or ·as a
substitute for t11efirst sentence of the incident's "remarks''.

C.

Qo not base incident coding on a oaller'&-tqneof voice or level
of excitemeht. 8a$e coding on the information you receive
from the caller.

Terminating the Call
A.

Do not terminate a call without specifically advising the caller what act ion
you are taking with the call . For exarnple, "I wi ll be creating an
assignment for your call and forwarding it to a dispatcher."

B.

Remain on the line with the caller until tile pollce arrive if the caller is an
important source of inform$tian to respo nding units or if it is reasonable

to believe that doing so will enhance the caller's sense of safety and

security.
C.

Use proper closing statement. "The police will respond as soon as a un it is
available·" or, "Apolice expediter will be calling you back for a report," oro.ther appropri ate statement. Avo id the te-rmusomeo ne'', as in ''someone
will be out to your house ... ''.

D.

It is inappropriat~ to terminate a call because any demeaning and /or
derog,atorystatements made by a caller offend you. Calls such as this are
to be hand lerj by a call taker in a professi onal manner. If necessary,
conferwith a CCS SL!perv'tsorprior to terminating the call.

IX.

Oanc.eijng (Oi$rsgardingl Ca.Iis for -Service
A

'\Mith minor e;i<ceptions,. existing calls for service may. only be
cani:;~lled by the original caner.An example of an excep titm could
be an alarm company operator canceHnga.nalarm that was
originally called in by a dffferent operator.
1.

Note th at domest ic situations involving violence or the threat
of viol ence may not be cancelled. Refer to CCS policy

2012~04.
2.

TAS:mc

If unsure of when it is appropr iate to cancel a cal l, consult a
supe rvisor.

 POLICY AND P"ROCEDURES
Bureau of Communications & Property Control
Communi"cati ons Co.ntrol Section

I Effective

D.ate: June .29, 2012

Subject: DmPATCHING PROCEDURES

Authority:-~ \---.

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Date : Ju ly 2, 2012

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~INo. 2012-07 ····--·_

Substantive Changes to 2010-14 arfi In Italics

PURPOSE : To establis h a priorlty classificati on for all calls for serv ice that are
receive d and to prov ide guidellnes for the proper dispatching of incid ents.
POLICY: It shall be the policy of the Communications Control Section to priori ti ze
and classify all ca lls for service . Incidents shall be dispatched expeditlously and
efficien tly in accordance with current priority classification s.
PROCEDURES:

I.

Priority Classi.fications - All incidents that are dispatched to field
personnel shall be assigned a pri·ority classification as follows:
A.

Priorit~ 1: Requires en immediate response due to serious
ora serious crime in

phys ical l1arm, serious property damage-;
prog ress.

·1. Target d i$p'atch time for priority 1 ·incidents sh.allbe three (B)
minutes or less.
2. Dispa tchers shall not assign mo re than one priority 1 ini::identto
the same unit concu rrently.

3. "Life" incidents, shall take precedence over "property"' incidents.
B.

Priority 2.: Requires a minimum delay response to incidentsthat
have the potential for serious phys ica l harrn, serious property
damage or a crirne that has just occurred.

1. Target dispatch tirne for priority 2 incidents shall be fifteen (15)
minutes or iess .
2. Dispatchers may assign concurrent multip le pr iority 2 incide nts
to the same unit.

3. 1'Life" incidents shall tal,e precedence over "property" incidents .

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES
[ Sui:>jeci:
-OISPATCHINGPROCEDURES
C.

! Page 2 of 6

Priority 3: Req uires an intermediate response to incidents that
have the pot ential for minor harm, minor property damage or for a
crime of this nature that has j ust occurred.

1.

Target dispatch time for priority 3 incid ents shall be one (1)

2.

hour or less.
Dispatchers may ass ign concurrent multiple priority 3

incidents to the same unit.
D'.

Pri.9.ci~Y
4: lncitjents

th~ t are cqn~lc;l~red "cold11 and that requ ire a

report or to check on informatro/i'l.
1.
2.
E.

II.

Tsr:get dispatch time for priority 4 inc1dentsshall be 0ne (1)
hour or less.
Dispatchers may asslgnmultiple priority 4 fncidents to the
same unit ooncurremly.

Priority 5:_lncldents that are administrat!v(3in-nature.

Multiple Calls " Receipt of multi'plecalls.for an inqident may elevate the
priority of the incident. Consult with a supervrsor if clarification is needed.
A

Dispatchers shall use good judgment in determining the need to

expedite the dispatch of an incident due to multiple calls.
B.

/fl.

A change in the priority cf an incident or additiona l information
regarding the incrdent, especially an elevation of the pr ior ity, shall
be relayed to the responding unit(s).

Upgrading Incidents* Dispa tchers shall upgrade existin~7 incidents to a
hig/7er prlot1ty (and change the incident type if appropria te) whenever it is
discoverec! or determined that the existing pr iority is too low.

IV.

Downgrading and Closing Inc idents- Downgrad -ing or closi ng out

un-dispatchedincidents must be approved by g supervisor. Note the
approving supervisor's name and any other pertinent information in the
incident.

V.

Incident Broadcasti. 119~ lndd ents shall be broadcast in the.following
manner:
A.

Dispa,tchers-shall d'esignate a specific unit Wilen. bro.adcssfrngan

lnckfont.

J

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES
[ Subje~t:QISPATC:HIN~~~o .c_=E=D_U:._:R=ES..;_,~----''- P
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1.

VI.

__J

lt is not CCS pol icy to routine ly broadcast exclusively to
"any car in the area ...." Occasionally,dispatchers shall be
directed to dispatc h to "any car in the area" for a spedfic
purpo se, for a limited t ime period . Example: a certa in
neighborhood is experiencing multiple daytime burg laries.
Dispatche rs may be directed to broadcast any alarms
received in that area fo r ''any car .... "

B.

Broadcast the priority and add ress of the incident. Relaying the
address at the beginning of a broadcast immed iate ly alerts cars in
the vicinity that the incident is taking place.

G.

Broadcast the specifics of the incident

D.

Broadca$t the incident number.

E.

Ensure acknowledgmentis ret:eived from unlt(e')after a brQadcast
i$ ma.deto them·.

Incident Informat io n- All information relative to the dispatch of an

rnciidentshall be logged in th~ aucfittrc1iL
VII.

Assigning Incidents~ When deterrn ihing whc1t unit to as~ign to an
inG.identthe dispatcher shall:
A.

Not as.sign the incident through the CAD system (Cirmanual
dispatch) until the respo nding unit(s) advises they are avaflable to
co py t he information.

B.

Check for unit avai lab ility-in the zone of occurrence.
Check for unit avai lability closest to the zo ne of occu rrence .
Check for unit availa bi lity with in the district.
Ass ign two (2) o ne-of fice r unit s to respond to a Priority 1 or Priority
2 incident wi1eneve r a tw o~offi cer unit is not available.
Reassig n units from lower priority inciden ts to higher priorit y

C.
D.
E.
F.

incidents.
G.

H.

If attempts to dispatch l1ighet priority Incidents at shift change are

unsuccessfut,call the district and request that a supervisor ~ss ign
the incident to a unit out of roll call. Update the incident witl1 the
supervfsor's name along with any otl1erpertinent informatio n.
High priority incidents occurring on or near district borders may be
assigned to units from adjacent tji~t ricts with a street supervisor's
approval when no unit~ are ~vailable in the distrfct of ocourre.nce.

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

I Subj~ct
V III.

IX.

DISPATCHING PROCEDURES

Page 4 of 6

IVlultlple Dispaic(:ling (Stacking) Assignments

A.

Incidents sharl be dispatchedto available units as they come in
and, with the exceptlon of Priority 1 assignments, may be stacked
to a unit

6.

Multip le-dispatch (stack) incidents to un"its in the or.de.ryo.u
wish them to respond to them,
1.

Ensure calls are stacked in priority order . with highest priority
1ncldentsat the top of the 'stack'.

2.

Whsn stacking incidents of the same priority, 'life' incidents
sha ll take precedence over 'property ' incidents .

Lunches, Details, and District Assignments

A.
B.
C.
D.

X.

J

Lunches shall not be given out dur ing the first oi last llour of a unit's
tour of d uty.
Lunches and district assignments are second ary when incidents
are backlom~ed.
A fieJd supervisorJsapproval shall be obtained before giving lunch ..
Detaifs or district assignments require a supervisor's. approval and
the nature of such incldenteshall be noted in the incident along with
the name of the approving supeivisor.

Dispatch Difficu lties
A.

When exp·eriencing a difficulty·in dispatching a Priority 1 or Priority
2 fncident in a timely mann~r. the dfspatcher shall:
1.

Broadcast the· incident location and other pe1i inent details
over the district channel in the following order.:
a.
b.
a.

The unit"number responsibleforthe · ihc1dentzone.
The resp.onsible supervisor's unlt number
"Any unit in the area"

Example: "Radio to 1A 13, 1S12 or any unit in th e area of..."
2.
3.
4.

Follow-Up with a sector.supervisor if no responsefrom #1
above.
Advise a CCS supervisor .
Update the CAD Incidentwith notation s of who was advised.

 CCS POUCV AND PROCEDURES

I Subject: DISPATCHINGPROCEpU__
R_E_s_
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B.

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When experiencing a large backlog of assignments, dispatchers
sl1all:

1.
2.
3.
4.
XI.

Advise a sector supervisor.
Advise a CCS supervisor.
Advise complainants of potential delay.
Note any and all of the above in the incident

General Rules of Dispatching and Charmel Management

A.

Wl1iledi~patching, c;1dhere
to the fbllowi11g!
1.

2.
3,
4.

5.
6.
7.

8.

9.
1o.

11.

Maintain a professionsl ,1 courteou s deme.anorwhile
broadcasting.
Do not use proper n~me&. nic.knamesor t~mw of
endearmentoverthe air.
Acknowledge all broadcasts promptly.
Ba aware of the status and reported 1·ocation of .all units you
are responsible for, routinely checking such statuses
throug_hoOtyour shift. When In doubt of -aunit's location,
uti(iz.ethe Automatic Vehicle Locator (A VL,)system for
verifi<;~tion and do not hesitate to ask.
Promptly record incident dispatch1 arrival, and closing times.
Read all inCidentsas they are received. Check the CAD
history and any cautions attached to the location using the
CAD 'EV' and 'CAUTION'buttons.
Read all subsequent updates si.gna!ed by all CAD update
indi cators.
Relay all information included in an incident to responding
units. lf unsure of any information, obtain clarification from
the call taker or a supervisor. Advise responding unit{s) of
any CAD 'Caution' and 'Special Address' information
associated with the incident ancl any relevant previous CAD

history at the focaUon.
At the beginning of the shift, or if providlng relief, farniliarize
yourself with the incidents that a re both pending and active.
Do not hold incidents for the fo llowing or overlapping shift
that c~:nbe dispatched now.
Di'spI;ftohincidentsnear the end of a shift th-atwill not
genera.t,eovertime, such as loud music,o:rge.n~ral
disturbances 1 fireworks, ete:.

1"2 .
13.

Utflize speeialized units when they are available.
Utilize exped'
irors to handle reports wrianappropriate.

 CCS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

ISubject

DlSPAJCHlNG PROCEDURES
14.

15.

___ [J§ie _· 6_ of_6......,·
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Ut!Hze other police departments w ithin the city, i.e. CMHA,
CleveLattdState , Un'iversity Ctrcle,etc., rememberingthat
the Cityof Cleveland is ultlmately responsible.
Use. personnel ·from a two-o.ffic
.er unlt as. a one.~officer unit

when a partner mus~?ttend cqurt.

16.

When a shortage.ofc;me:-officer
unit$ exists, dispatch
incidents typica:lly hantjled by one-officer units ttl two-officer
units .

17.

Advi.se relief personnerof channel status and notable

18.

incidents.
Mainta 'in any and a[! logs or tal lies .

19.
20.
2 1.

22.
23 .

Be familiar with any bulletins, memos, or other notices
posted on the dlspat-ch console.
Read all messages and broadcasts, taking required action
as necessa,y .
Reass ign incidents held by units that. wi ll have a delayed
response due to an arrest, lengthy report, officer
reassignment or other circumstance.
Read and close out du_plicate inc idents, msking not(~of the
related ihcident in the narrative of the maintained incident.
Make use of appropriate disposition cod es and closing

comments.
24 .

25.

Monitor and utilize tile Auto matic Vehicle Locator (AVL)
system as an aid to identifyingthe closest available t.1nltsto
an incident and to enhance officer safety. (CCS Policy &
Procedure 2010~06)
Comply with a complaitJant>srequest to remain

anonymous by not broadcasting the,caller's name,
address ortelephone number or,er the radio and
communicate the same io responding officers, Off lc;er
inquiries rolatod to the tdentity-Qf a caller shall be
reflil'fed fa a GCS s.upervi.sor,

TAS:mc