Check the Welfare Calls

[MrJim911]

Does your department(s) respond to all check the welfare calls? I've talked with people who work for agencies that will only respond during certain hours, or if the person "declares it an emergecy." Do your police handle these or your fire departments?
At my agency police will handle all calls for check the welfare and if needed have the FD or EMS respond.

[BOLO SIGNAL 44]

All of our law enforcement agencies respond to check welfare calls around the clock. We have had cases where they have arrived and had to call for EMS and or FD to respond. When Lifeline calls with a check welfare call, we normally send EMS. If the circumstances call for it, we will send law enforcement as well.

I have one check welfare call that I will never forget. Lady called from another county said that her son was depressed over a split up with his wife. She said that he was intoxicated and talked as if he was suicidal. One of the deputies along with a state trooper arrived at his house and had me to make a call to him to ask if he could step out and talk to them. After I made the call, he refused to talk to anyone and said that he wanted to die alone in his house. This started a two hour stand off with him. I was lucky because we get crisis negotions in the telecommunications academy. Also, two months before this I was sent to a crisis negotiations class hosted by the FBI. I was able to talk him into stepping out and talking to the deputies and troopers. He went to the hospital for seventy two hours on a mental hold.

Seven months later the same guy was drunk and in a domestic at the same place with his son and wife. This time he barricaded himself in the house with a shotgun and I had the fortune of taking that call that night. I talked with him for hours. There was a couple of close calls, but in the end he came out and went right back to the hospital.

[MrJim911]

Excellent work!! And if that's not the perfect advertisement for good training being necessary for dispatchers I don't know what is.

[BOLO SIGNAL 44]

Thanks. That class was one of the best ones I have been to. Not only has it helped with hostage and the suicide calls, you would not believe how it has helped on the domestic calls either. They really pushed the active listening skills in that class. After using that, I have had both parties calmed down and seperated before officers arrive on scene.

[Noodle]

We respond to all welfare calls. I was told that we have to just for liability reasons. Ohhh the L word. I know with my luck the first time i do not send someone on a run that sounds bogus, someone is going to really get hurt. Better safe than sorry I guess. One bonus is that they at least will give the officers something to do. They are not getting paid 50K+ for nothing.

[Lupey]

Each and every single one of them. Do a majority of them end up bogus yup! But we did have one where an employer wanted us to check up on her empoyee with whom she was friends with. He had been depressed yadda yadda. He hadn't been at work for 2 days and she hadn't been able to contact him.

Sent patrol by and pinned to the guys front door was if you found this not please call the police. Guy was Tango Uniform. Hung himself.

[MrJim911]

At least he was nice enough to leave a note prior to entry. lol