An excerpt from the book, “Pensacola’s Finest in Pictures,” available on Amazon
The Telecommunications section, formerly and still popularly known as Dispatch, is the heart of any department, and the Pensacola Police are no different. In an agency no larger than this, the officers and dispatchers know each other.
As early as 1838, documentation about police communications in Pensacola appeared in the Pensacola News Journal. One of the jailors’ responsibilities was to ring the bell when required.
The police radio came to West Florida when the Pensacola Police Department was located at 407 S. Jefferson Street (The Pensacola Museum of Art). The new radio system was placed in the Desk Sergeant’s Office, which made sense because the Desk Sergeant was in charge of the entire station and jail.
When the ‘new’ station was opened at 40 S. Alcaniz Street in 1956, the radio was put into a room 6’ x 4’. The radio fit in the small room and the newly hired dispatchers operated it. Space became an issue only when it was realized that people needed to be in the room also. As it took two people to operate the radio and telephone, two chairs were placed in the room. However when one dispatcher had to get out – like to visit the restroom – the other one had to get up and step out of the room to make way.
Over the years, more tasks, such as telephone, teletype, radio, written reports, computers, electronic reporting, Computer Aided Dispatch, global positioning service, satellite imagery, and geo-locating were heaped on the position.
The skill set it takes to be a telecommunicator is rather difficult. It is different from that of a police officer. Dispatchers, as they are often still called, must be able to give attention to many items simultaneously, including reports, eight computer screens, a telephone, and a radio with several channels—all while maintaining a pleasant and professional demeanor. Officers’ lives depend on the competence of these highly-trained specialists!
Eventually, the Pensacola Police and Pensacola Fire telecommunicators joined forces in a communications center that housed four telecommunicator 2s, two telecommunicator 1s, and a supervisor.
Multitasking is the key!
Good job, telecommunicators. Keep it up!