Police Dispatcher Practice Test

A dispatcher should "hold" a call when it requires non-urgent follow-up. This is appropriate because the dispatcher's primary responsibility is to prioritize calls based on urgency and severity. If a call is deemed non-urgent, it indicates that immediate attention is not necessary, allowing the dispatcher to allocate resources to higher-priority incidents without compromising the overall efficiency of emergency response.

In situations involving urgent or high-priority emergencies, the dispatcher must take immediate action to ensure that the necessary resources are deployed as quickly as possible. Thus, holding a call that may escalate to a significant emergency is not suitable.

When the line is busy, it's generally not ideal to hold a call unless it fits the criteria for non-urgent follow-up since it may lead to prolonged wait times for the caller or a potential delay in addressing the emergencies in queue.

Similarly, when all units are already dispatched, it wouldn't be appropriate to hold a call unless it falls into the non-urgent category, because it can prevent the dispatcher from monitoring and managing existing calls effectively. Here the focus should be on assessing the situation and preparing for any incoming emergencies, rather than holding calls that could be attended to later.