| John M. Eller |
"Robbery" or "Burglary?"
| John M. Eller has been Police Chief in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, since 1981. In addition to being a columnist for 9-1-1 Magazine, he is a certified Police Instructor, Consultant, Criminal Justice Instructor, Weekly Newspaper Columnist and Cablevision talk show host. |
This article can be found on
page 102 of the Nov/Dec 1997
issue of 9-1-1 Magazine.
The dispatcher picks up the call and answers, "9-1-1 Emergency." A voice on the phone cries: "I've just been robbed!' Sound familiar?
It's a question of terminology. Has the caller really been robbed, or have they been burglarized? It may make little difference to the victim but to the dispatcher, and the responding officer, it makes a great difference in terms of response priority and tactics.
The terms "robbery," "burglary," and "theft" are used quite freely by the press and many times are used out of context. Citizens, their understanding of the law often shaped by what they read in the media, typically wind up using the wrong terms to report a crime that has occurred to them. Taken for granted without clarifying the circumstances, the 9-1-1 call-taker could wind up dispatching the call with the same incorrect terminology as used by the caller.
Obviously in training, telecommunicators are taught to ask questions. In a previous column in this magazine (May/June 1997), I claimed that all telephone contacts contain some elements of conversation, interviewing and counseling. Interviewing in the key issue in this case. How are dispatchers trained in identifying the elements of a crime and interpreting them expediently from a 9-1-1 caller?
I checked with a few in-house experts. My old friend Steve Giancristoforo, former chief training officer at the Delaware County (PA) Communications Center (DELCOM), now an administrative assistant to the Police Chief in Radnor Township, PA, who still returns to DELCOM on a regular basis an a part time trainer, told me that DELCOM uses the APCO Institute's Basic Telecommunicator Training Course, which includes a generic overview of the elements of crimes, and what terms like "breaking and entering" and "burglary" mean. Guidelines are given to the telecommunicator to determine the specific crime and the action required for the dispatcher. Tom Gibbs, the new chief training officer with DELCOM, agrees that special attention should be paid to public terminology for various crimes during a call-taker's training.
Bob Coyle is the Police Communications Supervisor at Regional Communications (RECOM) in New Castle County, Delaware, and a certified APCO trainer. Bob personally trains new telecommunicators in certain elements of the Delaware Criminal Code so that they are aware of various terms which citizens use when calling 9-1-1.
Obviously, different states have different terminology for specific crimes such as "breaking and entering" or "burglary." Some states may consider breaking into a motor vehicle a burglary while others do not. For example, the term "breaking and entering" was dropped from the Pennsylvania Crimes Code in the 1970's and replaced by the term, "burglary." There are no varying degrees of burglary, as there may be in other states. Pennsylvania's version of shoplifting is entitled "retail theft" and vandalism is referred to as "criminal mischief."
Chris Barnes is a Police Officer in Marple Township, PA and a part time communications trainer at DELCOM who specializes in teaching the differences in certain crimes that are confusing to the general public. Chris has the job of making sure that new trainees know the difference between various categories of crime.
Robbery is usually considered the theft of property from a person by the use or threat of force. The key elements here are "from a person" and "by the use or threat of force." When the victim calls and indicates that his house was robbed, the telecommunicator needs to clarify what happened: "Did someone hold you up with a gun or did someone break into your house while you were gone?" - or words to that effect which can easily distinguish what the caller means to report. An incorrect interpretation of what is being said by the victim could result in incorrect information being provided to responding units.
Since many agencies utilize a code system, rather then "clear speech," it is extremely important that the telecommunicator understands the message from the victim and dispatches the units accordingly.
As in all aspects of emergency services, the telecommunicator is a vital link in the chain of events that supplies assistance to the victim of a crime or other emergency. It is extremely important that the information is received and interpreted correctly. As always, training is a key element in accomplishing this goal.
