*To take the corresponding CDE quiz, visit the College of Emergency Dispatch.*
Addressing the needs of a caller in danger is a main concern of the Police Priority Dispatch System™ (PPDS®), which is why the designated ECHO pathway CALLER IN IMMINENT DANGER directs the EPD to initiate an immediate 100-E-1 response from Case Entry after obtaining address and phone number information. “The quicker the call is entered for service, the quicker responders can start on their way to the incident,” said Angela Huddle, Priority Dispatch Corp.™ Quality Performance Review (QPR) Project Administrator.
The most ambiguous part of the CALLER IN IMMINENT DANGER ECHO pathway is defining when to use it, as the Case Entry definition mainly specifies when NOT to use it (situations where more specific instructions are available):
“A situation that places the caller in immediate danger of death or serious injury that does not involve a sinking vehicle, vehicle in floodwater, stuck accelerator, ACTIVE ASSAILANT (SHOOTER), bomb found, suspicious package, bomb threat, mental disorder (caller in crisis), or suicidal person/attempted suicide (caller in crisis).”
The EPD may select the CALLER IN IMMINENT DANGER pathway based off a caller’s initial response to the Case Entry Question, “Okay, tell me exactly what happened.” Practicing active listening may be necessary to recognize a caller in danger, especially in cases where the caller fears being overheard. This article will address the best methods for handling these dynamic situations.
Caller statement
After selecting the CALLER IN IMMINENT DANGER, the EPD should enter a brief caller statement, which is critical for preparing responders.
Dave Warner, International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED™) Police Protocol, Academics, and Standards Expert, provided an example: “Other Determinant Codes like ‘ACTIVE ASSAILANT (SHOOTER)’ elicit a general idea of the situation,” Warner said. “However, reporting a ‘CALLER IN IMMINENT DANGER’ is too broad to conceptualize. Responders don’t know what to expect or how to prepare tactically, asking, ‘What does that mean?’”
The EPD must provide context regarding the danger to the caller (and responders entering the scene), especially as details are evolving. “Responders only know what dispatchers give them,” Huddle said.
A simple caller statement can be brief and effective, such as, “Caller is hiding in upstairs closet with no egress. Intruder heard on main level.” The description is communicated through radio and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) so police officers can approach the incident with more information.
As a last step on the Case Entry Protocol, the EPD should provide PDI-a to reassure and guide the caller: “I’m sending help to you now. Stay on the line, and I’ll tell you exactly what to do next.” The EPD is then directed to Protocol C: Caller in Danger.
Chief Complaint safety questions and Target Tool
Certain Chief Complaint Protocols include an additional safeguard of the red safety question “Are you or anyone else in danger right now?” for addressing crimes against people and property crimes. Affirmative responses to these questions lead the EPD to the Caller in Danger Protocol, specifically when the suspect is confirmed on scene or if their location is unknown. This may also apply when a suspect is likely to return, such as in domestic violence situations.
Huddle explained that this isn’t a time for judgment. “If a caller feels like they are in danger, it is not the EPD’s job to validate or invalidate that notion,” Huddle said. “The EPD should take the caller at their word and quickly move to CID.”
In addition to these interrogation send points, Case Entry Rule 8 indicates that the EPD may use the Target Tool to access the Caller in Danger Protocol whenever safety concerns arise: “The calltaker will suspend questioning when it is necessary to give instructions pertaining to caller/victim safety or care. Upon completion of necessary instructions, the calltaker must return to the question sequence.”
Caller in Danger (CID) Protocol
Unlike most protocol question sequences designed to obtain incident details, the Caller in Danger Protocol is aimed to urge the caller to remove themselves from harm if possible. “Callers are often in a high state of anxiety and may not be thinking clearly,” Huddle said. “As EPDs, we have an opportunity to guide them through the situation.”
Protocol C prompts the caller to consider their next steps. “Some people freeze and just need to be told to move,” Warner said. “We don’t tell them how or where to go, but we help them make that choice to get themselves to safety.”
Panel 1 asks, “Are you able to get yourself to safety?”. Panel 2 directs the caller, “If you think you can leave safely, get away now,” then asks, “Where are you going?”. It is important to update responders on the caller’s evolving location and status.
In most cases, the EPD doesn’t proceed past Panel 3, which asks, “Can you take the phone with you?”. If the caller answers affirmatively, the EPD returns to the original sequence to gather more incident information (Case Entry or applicable Chief Complaint Protocol). If the caller cannot take the phone with them, the Protocol C Panel concludes with reassurance that an officer will be dispatched and to advise calling back from a safe location, making themselves known to police officers when they arrive.
In rare cases, Panels 4–8 suggest alternative methods for communicating with a caller who cannot speak freely, such as using yes-or-no questions, tapping on the phone, or trying to imitate a casual conversation between friends.
“Any way that can be utilized to communicate is great,” Warner said. He often refers to a real-life example of a woman who disguised her call to 911 in front of her attacker by pretending to call for pizza:
911: Hi … Room 1529 …
Try again, you keep getting 911. Yeah, that’s what I want.
You want an emergency service? Oh yeah.
Okay what do you want—police, fire, medical … what? Yeah, the first one’s cool.
Police? Uh huh.
Okay. Are you at a hotel? Uh huh.
What hotel? I don’t know.
Okay, what’s going on there? I don’t know.
Is there a man there? Mm hmm.
Is he bothering you? No, I just want a pizza. Do you deliver after this hour?
Is he assaulting you? Yeah … but you don’t have any pizza?
Do you know him? Yep. But you have no pizza?
Is it a boyfriend? Just salad? Pasta?
(Disconnects and reconnects)
911, hi is this 1529? Hi, yep.
Okay we’re on our way. Thank you.
Is this like a boyfriend? Yeah.
Do you need any medical help? Umm … maybe.
You’re hurt? Yep.
Does he have any weapons? Nope.
Okay, we’ll get you some medical help as well, okay? So we can’t order anything right now?
Right, but they’ll be there in just a second. No nothing after … what time is it? 12:00?
Is it just you and him? Mm hmm. Yes, I’m sorry.
That’s okay, we’re on our way. Buh bye. Bye.
This transcript proves that the EPD should not only focus on what is said, but sometimes what is NOT being said as well. This clued-in EPD was able to send responders to detain the suspect and provide aid to the caller.
CID: responses and appropriate PDIs
Responders plan their approach based off the EPD’s stream of updated information while guiding the caller. For instance, if a caller is moving to safety after reporting a fight in progress, responders will most often address the immediate needs of the injured victim(s) and detain the suspect before going to the witness’ removed location. In the case of a domestic violence situation, responders will likely attend to the caller’s relocation first before rushing to the home if the involved parties are currently separated.
The CID Protocol lists several general safety Post-Dispatch Instructions (PDIs) to consider whether possible and appropriate to give. These PDIs remind callers to take steps to remain safe, such as the instruction to “silence the ringer and vibration mode on your cell phone.”
However, the EPD need not read every visible PDI. For instance, if a caller states that he is going to walk out to the street to wait for police, the EPD should not advise him to lock his doors and windows. The EPD must recognize the intent behind each safety instruction to determine if it applies.
Incidentally, if the EPD provides a PDI while on the CID Protocol, it is not necessary to repeat the same instruction when returning to a Chief Complaint Protocol unless the EPD feels the caller could benefit from the reminder.
