![]() ![]() During that time, the WANG computer system was installed. Eventually, dispatchers went to 12 hour shifts from 8 to 8. The dispatch center was located where the waiting room of the front business office is now located. Duties still included dispatching responsibilities along with tending to the prisoners. The dispatch center moved into the Courthouse Annex East in 1974. ![]() The NCIC machine was an old Western Union Teletype machine on a party line with 7 other departments, with dispatchers competing with the other departments to use it. ![]() There were two dispatchers on the day shift, one on the evening shift and one on the night shift, each working 8-hour shifts (8-4, 4-12, 12-8). The radio consisted of only two frequencies. Amongst other tasks they were required to perform, they managed and bonded out prisoners, including booking them into and out of lockup. Sheriff’s Office Dispatchers did all tasks with pencil and paper and they not only dispatched calls for service, but also took all general phone calls. At that time, 911 was not operational on the East Bank of Ascension Parish but was used on the West Bank. The other dispatch office, located at the main Sheriff’s office in Donaldsonville, dispatched calls for West Bank residents. They worked from a location that, at the time, was referred to as the Sheriff’s Office substation, but is the Gonzales City Hall building. In Gonzales, dispatchers employed by the Sheriff’s Office dispatched calls for service and fire incidents from East Bank residents for both the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Gonzales Police Department. ![]() In the law enforcement training-especially the training of young recruits new to the profession-it's enormously helpful to have a cadre of academy cadets who already possess a year or two of experience of emersion in the practice of policing.įormal youth programs-explorers, athletic league, summer internships, and others-can go a long way toward creating strong bonds between police and the community they serve.Įxplorers become advocates for the police, potentially explaining to family members and peers at school-who probably don't understand the first thing about the police profession-what they've learned about the law and its enforcement.Įxplorer programs require a considerable investment in both police officers' time and the city's money, but when one makes the argument that the return on that investment is an increase in the number of qualified-and interested-police recruits, the expenditure begins to look like a good idea.Īt the very least, the community is better served.In 1973, Ascension Parish emergency calls were dispatched from two locations. Importantly, individuals who have had exposure to law enforcement training in Explorer programs-because they develop police-related skills, and discover details about the profession from the inside out, well before any career decision must be made-become excellent trainees in an academy, and lifelong learners throughout a law enforcement career. Kids interested in the law enforcement profession are given a fantastic introduction to what policing is really all about-public safety and community service-as well as practical knowledge of the inner-workings of police work. However, efforts such as the one undertaken by the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office may be the most proven pathway toward increasing interest in young people to pursue training in the field of policing.Įxplorer and cadet programs run by police agencies have an enormous impact on young people and their family members. Still others are increasing the maximum age for new recruits. Some agencies have relaxed their hiring standards, especially with regard to educational levels, prior drug use, tattoos, and facial hair. Leaders of police departments of all size across the United States continue to struggle with the increasingly difficult problem of attracting the next generation of officers to fill the shoes of those who are leaving the profession in droves. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |