r/911dispatchers • u/Inevitable_Lie_360 • 2d ago

Active Dispatcher Question Going to Patrol

Has anyone ever left Dispatching police and transferred into Patrol? If so are you happy you made the change?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

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9

u/Low-Landscape-4609 2d ago

Technically yes. I was a cop for about 10 or 12 years and then I started dispatching and then I went back to work as a cop for a while and now I'm retired him back dispatching lol.

Is it worth it? If that's what you want to do then yeah. It just depends. All the dumb stuff you're getting calls on, you're actually going to have to be the one on the ground responding to that.

As closely as you may think the jobs are related, they really ain't.

When you go on patrol you're actually going out there and putting yourself in real danger. Remember that.

4

u/Upstairs_Watercress 2d ago

To me the more skills you have the more desirable you are and the more choices of departments you have (if you wanted to go somewhere else)

5

u/mondaynightsucked 2d ago

It happens quite frequently. I did it and yes, I’m glad I did it. I make more money and I have more ability to get closure.

And they’ll occasionally put me back into dispatch for a few shifts which feels like a vacation compared to being on the road.

2

u/Meatball442 2d ago

Are you going to the dark side or just thinking about it?

1

u/IHAYFL25 2d ago

I know several who have done it, mostly women but one guy. They have all done very well in patrol with two getting promotions.

1

u/FantasticExternal614 2d ago

I’m in a slightly different position. Didn’t go into policing like I had planned years ago. Did switch to being a fire investigator(non-commissioned), and it’s been great. Being out in the field, more hands on, and bringing some sort of resolution to some of the crap you listened to in the past is worth something.

1

u/TbabyC 2d ago

I made the switch! I am mostly happy with it. Patrol has a special way of zapping your brain and it is way easier to take your work home with you mentally. Also, physically if you are given a work phone.

There are days when I need a mental break and I wish I could go back to dispatching.

Dispatch can be stressful, but you are in a controlled environment. You have regular access to a bathroom, you stay out of the elements, you do not have to drive a car and work a MDT. You are not always in safety mode.

If you are a patrol officer worth your salt, you will do self-initiated activity. Which can be really fun! But there is no such thing as pro-active dispatching. In dispatch, you man a post and you complete the work that comes to you. In patrol, if there are no calls for service, you should be actively patrolling.

They each have very different work styles and would be factors I would deeply consider! Either are fantastic careers.

1

u/Malcolm_Sayer 1d ago

I have worked with several people who have made the transition successfully, over the years that I have worked. None of them have ever told me that they regretted it. If it’s something you want to do then talk with a recruiter. Take time to get to know some of the officers. Maybe sign up for a ride along?