Q: In reading the CAD system online (http://cad.chp.ca.gov), some aspects of this otherwise terrific service have left me a little puzzled - first, why do the dispatchers often type "thanks" at the end of their updates/dispos? whom are they thanking? or is this a way of telling themselves when they've completed a requested task? (i.e., 1021 Harbor Tow for flatbed, thanks) once Harbor Tow has been called.

A: This is easy to explain, actually: CHP Comm Centers staff radio dispatch consoles AND call-taking consoles, which we (in the department) refer to as "service desk" positions. Requests for various tasks - especially in our very large, metropolitan Comm Centers, are routed around the room for someone else designated as "call-out" to handle for them. So lines with those pleases and thank yous in them are friendly requests made by the radio dispatcher handling that frequency, to someone else at a service desk position to make the call for him/her.

In the small Comm Centers, like mine, one of us will hear the request for a tow and just say out loud, "I'll get your tow," pull up the appropriate log, tell CAD to assign the rotation tow, make the call, and then update the log with the "10-39" [message delivered] reference. Our experienced dispatchers will actually route the request to a trainee that's learning how to process requests in queue and respond to them, rather than make the request verbally. Sometimes one of my folks will say "Can somebody get me a flatbed for log 782?" because they're too busy to make the outgoing call just then. If nobody answers up, then s/he might route it in CAD with a "please."

Q: I just can't figure out the "responding officer status" section. does it update with a new line every time there's a status update or does the same line change? i.e., if one unit is responding to a traffic hazard, would it look like "13:04 - CHP Unit Enroute" and on a second line, then read, "13:10 - CHP Unit On Scene." or, alternately, does the "CHP Unit Enroute" line just change, and only one line remains, which reads "13:10 - CHP Unit On Scene." It's confusing, because, if I see the former, two-line scheme, I wonder if ONE CHP unit went enroute at 1304 and then on! scene at 1310, or if there are actually TWO CHP units, one of which has been enroute since 1304 and the other which is on scene, as of 1310. Confusing, no? :)

A: Confusing, yes, to those of you on the outside, because the "public" view of CAD is so sanitized. WE know which unit is responding, but y'all don't. The unit status line reflects every unit tracked in CAD as assigned to the incident. But the unit number is NOT shown on the 'Net. All y'all need to know is that someone or another is actually responding and that someone is actually there, if that's the case. Several someones, if there are several units assigned that arrive.

So, say something is really mucking up the commute. Like a fatality, for instance. First y'all see maybe one unit enroute, then another.. ..pretty soon there are lots of units apparently enroute or on scene. Those may be assisting with traffic control, or whatever. A sergeant may arrive. If it's a big incident, when a public affairs officer or Captain or Lieutenant or other units head out to the scene, you'll see multiple unidentified "units" but no indication of their various roles in that "responding officer status" part of the visible CAD log on the 'Net.

Q: Sometimes I notice that, hours after a call has been dispatched, the status screen will still show "Officer responding" or "en route". Is the officer really still responding, two hours later, after everything's been cleaned up or is this just an oversight on the part of the dispatcher.

A: All rightie. Units are often "enroute" to more than one place associated with an incident.It's a CAD Unit History status. Going "enroute" to the hospital to contact a transported victim will change the unit's status. Enroute to an address for follow-up. Status changes like that, associated with a call that may very well be well cleared off the highway, freeway or unincorporated county road. The CALL is still active,but individual units' status has changed.

Better yet, especially with my little Comm Center's page (Monterey), we can have not much going on, somebody sitting there watching "our" page on the 'Net saw a major incident go away... and two hours later,the exact same one pops up again, with really old time references, and a "unit is enroute." Yup. Going BACK to the hospital, or the scene for measurements, or the county jail or to make contact with a witness, the CAD log - which was filed - is re-opened, the unit assigned to it, and off doing that follow-up work. Suddenly looks enroute NOW??? But the public doesn't see the blocked lines that say what the witnesses address is, or that the unit is on follow-up, or whatever. CAD TIP (the web page) is dumb; the call is active again, it's gonna show it. De doot de doo, de doot de doo.
Hope this helps. ;)

Q: Are the dispatchers typing what the units are saying word for word?

A: Uhhhhhh..... no we're not. We're typing a whole heck of a lot, danged fast and pretty closely related to what is said to us, but it's not verbatim and it sure ain't reflecting an officer saying please or thank you to us. That was a nice thought. ;-)