Communications Section

The Communications Section consists of officers who have completed 25 weeks of extensive training to receive telephone calls from the public and gather information.  They must have detailed knowledge of the laws to properly inform responding officers.  They also dispatch all officers to the scenes of emergencies.  Communications officers also access the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which is the federal database that allows officers to search criminal and driving histories and track stolen items, such as vehicles.

The Communications Section is on duty at all times and the officers work eight-hour shifts.  All calls for service in Kenner come to the Communications Section, including those for fire and medical emergencies.  Using Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), the call takers then alert the proper authorities to each situation.  The Communications Section has four 9-1-1 lines, seven non-emergency lines, and a one-button transfer for misdirected calls.  The officers are also trained to accommodate emergency calls from the hearing impaired by using a special keyboard.

The department's Communications Section also uses an Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), which operates by computer and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS).  The AVL displays in a grid on a video screen the location of all units on duty.  Therefore, units closest to the scene of an emergency can be dispatched immediately.

The Communications Section monitors the weather and distributes weather bulletins to patrol units.  Communications officers also monitor the location of patrol units and direct them during pursuits.  The officers manage stressful situations, such as callers who threaten suicide or who are victims or witnesses of crimes, via the telephone, a vital lifeline between a victim and a police officer.  They must think quickly, decipher and type information into the computer and patiently keep callers on the line until the appropriate authorities arrive.

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