As much as we strive for perfection in the public safety field, at times we will stumble and make a mistake. Some mistakes are easier to fix than others. Some mistakes we never want to think about again. Some make us laugh; some make us cry. Hopefully, you’ve never made a mistake that caused someone harm.

In the comm center, we frequently make little mistakes. You know what I’m talking about–typos, putting the wrong unit on a call or closing out a call with the wrong disposition code. If you’re lucky enough, you work with telecommunicators who quietly bring the mistake to your attention without hoopla and without drawing everyone’s attention to the matter. Mistakes and how we handle them can alleviate or perpetuate the “us vs. them” mentality between the field and the comm center.

We need to really watch how we talk to each other. We want to foster a professional working atmosphere. You don’t like it when your mistakes are broadcast all over the radio for everyone to hear do you? Same goes for the other side of the radio. I’m sure a kindly reminder that a particular status doesn’t go with a specific call type would be much more appreciated than a sarcastic tone.

Long ago, when I first started calltaking, there was a sergeant who could be a little intimidating. He was tall, extremely fit and confident and ran his shift like a gunnery sergeant in the Marines. One night, after a particularly long and busy night, I realized that I had made a mistake and mishandled a call. It was nothing big, nothing that changed the outcome, but something that I should have handled better. I thought about it and took that long walk to the sergeant’s office. He waved me in. “Sir, I think I made a mistake.”

He looked up.  “Did anyone get hurt?”

“No sir,” I replied.

“Will you handle it better next time?”

“Yes sir.”

“Did you learn anything from it?”

“Yes sir.”

“Have a good night then, Dunaway.”

He never even asked what had happened. I will never forget that or him. He retired as a captain and is now a published author and instructor on leadership and motivation. Instead of jumping to conclusions, he always asked questions first and backed his squad. Discipline was always handled behind closed doors. I really think his approach can be applied to all of us. Ask first, jump later, or not at all!

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my day, and yes, some I would love to forget ever happened, but I think the important thing, especially in relation to our line of work is to step up and take responsibility. Folks respect honesty. Like it or not, they hold us public safety professionals to a higher standard.

I absolutely love my sheriff. For as long as I have known him, he has always tried to do the right thing, which we all know doesn’t always make everyone happy. I always feel so bad for him when he has to stand in front of the media and admit that someone from his department has made a mistake. He never makes the public information officer make the announcement like some agencies do. He is the face of organization, and he accepts his responsibility to answer to the public for our errors. This is one of the many reasons I look up to him as a leader.

I’d like to offer some suggestions for how to make the mistakes we all make a little more bearable for those involved:

No. 1.  Admit fault–and as soon as you discover the error, not after you’ve been caught! The sooner the better. If it’s something that can be fixed by you, do so as soon as possible and advise the proper personnel. At my agency, we sit different districts randomly on the radio. You might have “Alpha” District for a couple of days and routinely type “A” all day on the keyboard for 12 hours straight. The next shift you come on and sit “Delta.”  Heaven forbid you hit “A” instead of “D” by mistake. “Who’s putting my units on calls?!!” You’ll inevitably hear from across the room. Which brings me to my next point:

No. 2. Give your co-workers the benefit of the doubt. If the mistake is something as simple as a typo or something obvious enough that it was done in error, do we really need to call them on it in front of our peers? (How many times have we seen the letter “r” accidentally left out of the word “shirt” in the description of a suspect’s clothing?) Letting them know privately so that they can fix it and move on is much more appreciated and professional. Now if it affects location or officer safety, that’s a different story, but it can also be handled professionally. This is where your chain of command comes in. Use it! And then keep it to yourself. I know, it goes against the grain not to pass on juicy information, but we all know it’s bad enough to make a mistake in the first place, but to have everybody and their brother know about it is even worse.

No. 3. Report potential problems to your supervisor. You want to keep them in the loop. Even if there really isn’t a problem but something that “might” pop up later on in your shift, or someone else’s shift. Unless you like getting phone calls after you get off duty, which I don’t, try to remember to brief your oncoming shift about any potential problems they may encounter during their tour of duty.  Whether it be that problem caller who calls back after you’re gone or a detective who needs additional information for something he’s working on, sometimes, what you think is routine is anything but.

No 4. Learn from your mistakes! If you can’t learn from your mistakes, then what are we doing?  Not just in public safety but in life in general. We should always strive to be and do better every day. I am of the opinion that we public safety workers are above average anyway (I’m sure you knew that already!), but there’s always room for improvement. Unfortunately for us, the stakes are high. When we make mistakes, they can potentially cause bodily harm or even death. This is where our training comes in. We should take advantage of as much training as possible. You do what you train! You can never train enough. Take it seriously.

Times are tough everywhere these days. If your agency is unable to provide your with formal training, practice with each other. If there’s a training topic or issue that you haven’t dealt with lately or feel like you need extra information on, there are a lot of resources out there that are free or almost free. I work very closely with my training division, and if you need any assistance with anything, I have access to a plethora of training materials that I would be more than happy to share with you. I’m just an e-mail away.

Every day is not going to be perfect, but we can at least try and make that our goal.  I hope that these few things can help you make your day a little better. Admit fault when the mistake is yours, correct it as soon as possible, and then learn from the mistake so as not to repeat it.  Give your co-workers a break. You may one day need that very same courtesy. Strive for excellence, not only in your professional life but at home too. If you have children, this is a pretty good example for them to follow. If you’re a supervisor, this is a great example for your subordinates to observe. For you trainers, it’s good for your rookies to know its OK to be human, but to be responsible at the same time.

Be safe my family.

About the Author

Cindra Dunaway is a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office. Contact her via e-mail at [email protected].