Police Dispatcher Mock Interview
Master 30 Police Dispatcher interview questions covering high-stress scenarios, multi-tasking abilities, and radio communication protocols.
Question 28 of 30
How would you handle a call from a panicked person who was speaking unintelligibly?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"If I had a call from a panicked person who was speaking unintelligibly, I would calmly ask them to slow down. Then, I would guide the conversation by asking pointed questions such as 'What is your name?' and 'Are you hurt?' or 'Is this an emergency?' By getting yes and no answers, it will help the caller to catch their breath and provide me with the foundational responses that I need to dispatch assistance correctly."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Police Dispatchers are often in communication with people who are having a very stressful time. This stress can cause people to panic and not think or speak clearly. Some examples could include the caller speaking a language you do not know, or a caller suddenly unable to remember important details such as their location. Walk the interviewer through the steps that you would take if you were on a call with someone speaking in a way that you could not understand.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I recently had a caller who was speaking very quickly in another language that I could not decipher. After asking them a couple of questions in English, it was clear that they were upset and found it easier to speak in their native tongue while in duress. I asked, 'what language?' a straightforward question that was simple for the caller to answer. Once I was able to distinguish the language they were speaking, I was able to transfer to the call to a dispatcher who spoke their language. When a caller is panicked, it is entirely up to me to break down the barriers of communication and get them the assistance they need."
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Anonymous Answer
I would first attempt to slow the person down by asking a series of very simple but important questions. Yes or no questions would be an example of this. It is necessary to determine if this is an emergency situation and dispatch the help they need as quickly as possible, so by reverting to very easy yes or no questions, it would be easier to come to a solution.
Cindy's Feedback
Very good. This is one technique that sounds very effective.
Anonymous Answer
If I received a call from a panicked person who was speaking unintelligibly my first response would be to use a calm reassuring voice asking them to slow down. I would then proceed to use closed questions to determine whether this is an emergency and if so what kind, in order to dispatch help as quickly as possible. I would also shorten the length of my questions, to where "What is your name?" Would become, "Your name, please?". The caller I believe will see that I am working for them and not attempting to have an extended conversation in order to bring about a solution.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! You've provided multiple ideas here of how you would handle this type of caller. You might also mention that you look forward to receiving and implementing additional training in this area. Nice job!
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