When Does Bias Begin? Identifying and Addressing Bias in the Emergency Call Center

Sunday, October 20, 2024

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Location: 204AB

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Jeffery Spivey

Executive Director/Chief of Police (Ret.)
Caruth Police Institute and the University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, Texas, United States

Speaker(s)

Brain Manley

Chief of Police (Ret.)
City of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas, United States
Nicola Smith-Kea, Ph.D.

Executive in Residence
Stoneleigh Foundation
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
BJ Wagner

Senior Vice President of Health and Public Safety
Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
Austin, Texas, United States

Police officers are universally known as first responders. However, in most cases, the first person contacted in an emergency is a police telecommunicator. This person is responsible for gathering as much information as possible and passing it along to the dispatcher so an officer can be sent to the call. A lot has been said about police officer bias, but what if that bias starts much earlier than when the officer arrives? What influence does the caller’s location, dialect, and emotional state have on the telecommunicator’s perception? This session will explore the effect a telecommunicator can have in setting the stage for how an encounter will play out once a police officer arrives on scene and how, with recognition and training, these encounters can end more favorably.