THIS IS A STORY ABOUT WHY YOU ALWAYS FILL OUT YOUR SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION. OUR SYSTEM HAS ALL THESE LITTLE BOXES TO FILL IN; YOU RUN A NAME AND DOB OR OLN AND YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND FILL IN HEIGHT, EYE COLOR, AND SEX. SOME DISPATCHERS ARE BETTER AT IT THAN OTHERS. BUT THIS IS THE TALE I TELL ROOKIES TO DRIVE HOME THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPLETING THE SUP FIELDS.

MOST THE PROBLEMS IN THIS STORY ARE BECAUSE IT WAS THE MONDAY AFTER THE SUPER BOWL. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IF THE SUNDAY BEFORE HAD BEEN ANY OTHER DAY OF THE YEAR, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

SO, OUR SOUTH OFFICE GETS A CALL ABOUT AN OVER DUE MOTORIST. GUY WAS COMING TO SEE HIS GIRLFRIEND SUNDAY NIGHT AND NEVER SHOWED UP. SHE DIDN’T WANT TO ENTER HIM AS MISSING, JUST REQUESTING A BOLO BETWEEN HIS PLACE AND HERS. I AIR’D IT OUT TO MY LONE EAST UNIT AND HE SAID HE’D TAKE A DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY.  THE DISPATCHER DID A GOOD JOB,  GOT ALL THE RELEVANT INFORMATION AND CHECKED OUR SYSTEM FOR ANY HISTORY WITH THE DUDE’S NAME AND DOB. NOTHING HIT, IT WAS JUST A BOLO.

GOING ABOUT OUR DAY AND THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT CALLED IN A PANIC. THEY SAID THEY HAD LOCATED HUMAN REMAINS AND WE NEEDED TO SEND OUT THE CALVARY. THEY WANTED UNITS, THEY WANTED CRIME SCENE, THEY WANTED THE CHIEF TO COME OUT. THE CREW HAD NEVER FOUND SOMETHING SO EXCITING AND THEY WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW. “HUMAN REMAINS” IS USUALLY OLD BONES THAT THEY DEEM ANCIENT REMAINS. THIS STILL HAD A PULSE.  I CALLED MY EAST UNIT AND SAID, “HEY, WANT SOME HUMAN REMAINS INSTEAD OF THE BOLO?” HE DIDN’T HESITATE AT ALL. HE MUST HAVE BEEN PROSPERING FOR THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT AS EXCITED AS HE WAS.

NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO MENTION THAT NIGHT SHIFT HAD BRIEFED US ON A FATAL THE NIGHT BEFORE (DURING THE GAME), BUT IT WAS A FOOTNOTE. I DIDN’T EVEN GO READ THE CALL, JUST KNEW THERE HAD BEEN A PEDESTRIAN FATAL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

MY COPILOT WHO WAS ON WITH THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT MENTIONED THE FATAL BUT I SAID PROBABLY NOT RELATED. THIS WAS ON THE SAME HIGHWAY BUT ALMOST A WHOLE COUNTY AWAY. NEVER CROSSED ANYONE’S MIND THAT THE BOLO CROSSED THE SAME HIGHWAY.

UNIT GETS ON SCENE AND HOLY SHIT- THERE IS A WHOLE ASS HALLOWEEN PROP. A LIVE FOOT FROM THE KNEE DOWN WAS FLUNG ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE TOP EDGE WAS RAW AND JAGGED. NOW EVERYONE WAS EXCITED. CALL A DETECTIVE,  NOTIFY A SGT, MAKES SOME MOVES.

WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT OMI AND GET THEM OUT THERE FOR THE JUICY HUMAN REMAINS. OMI STARTED TO PUT THE PUZZLE TOGETHER. OMI TELLS US- WE HAD A FATAL OUT THAT WAY YESTERDAY. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, THAT WAS A MILLION MILES AWAY. OMI THEN SAYS- WELL, NOT ALL THE PIECES WERE RECOVERED. IT WAS A PEDESTRIAN FATAL WHERE A GUY HAD BROKEN DOWN AND TAKEN OFF WALKING. A CMV HIT HIM AND DRUG HIS BODY QUITE A WAYS BEFORE HE REALIZED HE’D HIS A PERSON, THOUGHT IT WAS A DEER.

I’M STILL DOUBTFUL BUT MY PARTNER IS INVESTED AND DECIDES TO LOOK UP THE FATAL FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE. THE CALL HAS  MINIMAL NOTES, UNCHARACTERISTIC OF BOTH THE OFFICER AND THE DISPATCHER BUT THEY WERE BOTH PROBABLY DISTRACTED BY THE GAME! SO WE’RE READING THE FATAL AND WE NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FILLED OUT. VICTIM WAS ONLY RAN BY OLN  AND THEN NOTHING WAS BACKFILLED. I DON’T REMEMBER LOOKING TOO MUCH INTO IT THOUGH- WE HAD A HOT CRIME SCENE TO WORK.

IT WAS MY PARTNER WHO HAD THE EUREKA MOMENT. IT WAS MY PARTNER WHO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. IT WAS MY PARTNER WHO GASPED AND SENT THE ROOM INTO A FRENZY. MY PARTNER CHECKED THE OLN. AND THE RETURN MATCHED, NOT THE FOOT (FOOT WAS CONCEALING), BUT IT MATCHED THE BOLO. THE BOLO FOR THE OVER DUE MOTORIST GOING TO SEE HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS THE PEDESTRIAN FATAL FROM THE SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.

NOW WE  HAVE TO REREAD BOTH CALLS WITH NEW EYES AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON. BOLO CALLED IN BY GIRLFRIEND, DOESN’T WANT TO DO MISSING REPORT, GAVE NAME AND DOB. FATAL CALL, RAN BY OLN, STATES NEXT OF KIN WAS NOTIFIED… WIFE. HOMIE HAD A WIFE AND A GIRLFRIEND AND ONE KNEW HE WAS ROADKILL AND THE OTHER WAS WAITING ON HIM TO GET WHERE HE WAS HEADING.

WHAT A FUCKING CLUSTER, AND NOW ALL MY UNITS ARE TIED UP ON A FOOT. RING/RING/HEY SGT…. YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS…

OMI FINALLY GETS TO THE SCENE AND IN 2 SECONDS IS LIKE- YEP, DEFIANTLY PART OF THE FATALITY FROM LAST NIGHT. SO NOW WE HAVE THREE CALLS WE HAVE TO PATCH TOGETHER. I TELL THE ORIGINAL UNIT… HEY… SO THIS IS YOUR BOLO, WHAT DO WE TELL THE RP? CALL HIS WIFE? WE LOCATED PART OF HIM? HE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT??? AND WHAT DO WE TELL THE WIFE- WE FOUND ANOTHER PIECE? CALL THE SIDE CHICK? DID YOU CATCH THE GAME?

I THINK EVERYONE WAS TRAUMATIZED THAT DAY. THE ROAD CREW, THE UNITS, THE DISPATCHERS. WE HAD TO CALL THE GIRLFRIEND AND TELL HER WE HAD CONTACT BUT SHE NEEDED TO CONTACT HIS FAMILY.  WE HAD TO CALL THE FUNERAL HOME AND TELL THEM TO SEND A CARRIER PIGEON WHO COULD HEAVY LIFT. WE HAD TO TELL THE OFFICER FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE HE MISSED A WHOLE LIMB.

WE HAD TO TELL THE NIGHT SHIFT DISPATCHER TO FILL OUT THE FUCKING SUPPLEMENTAL FIELDS. AND I TELL THIS STORY IN ALL ITS GLORY, WITH MY SHIFT PARTNER PRESENT IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, TO NEW BABY DISPATCHERS SO THAT THEY GET WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO DO OUR JOB AND DO IT WELL. ITS NOT ALL ABOUT THE PHONE CALLS AND THE 10-3S. EVERY PART OF WHAT WE DO IS NECESSARY. EVEN IF IT JUST FEELS LIKE A FOOTNOTE.

SUPPLEMENTAL FIELDS EXIST FOR A REASON. SKIP THEM, AND YOU MIGHT JUST LOSE TRACK OF AN ENTIRE LIMB.

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• FOOTNOTE

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