BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — When seconds matter, you dial 911. But, here's a little-known fact: before help races to your side, a skilled dispatcher will fire off critical questions designed to pinpoint your emergency and unleash the right responder.
The average dispatcher can receive close to 80-100 calls a day. Responding to the best of their capability to ensure the community member on the other end of the call feels safe and secure, knowing help is on the way.
Tamia Smith, Support Services Division Administrator for BPD, said, "The life of a dispatcher can be hectic. Some of our most important days of our lives, we put aside to come here. For example, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, we've even had an employee come on their wedding day because we needed someone to answer the phone."
Recently, someone posted a video on TikTok alleging they had a rude experience with a Bakersfield 911 dispatcher. But in most cases, dispatchers aren't trying to be disrespectful. Those rapid-fire questions are critically designed to pinpoint the crisis and send lifesaving help as soon as possible.
"Small details that are important to dispatchers could be things outside of the box. Are there any dogs in your backyard? That's important cause our officers need to jump over the fence," said Smith "We may ask you if the person has any weapons, sometimes we need you to elaborate. If you know there are weapons in the house. We would appreciate if you said "no he doesn't have a weapon in the house, but there are weapons present."
Graham Payne, Police Dispatcher II with Bakersfield Police Department, said, "The most important question is where the emergency. Second, we need to know when it happened and who was involved. We will ask various specific questions as far as descriptions and locations. Some small details may include, clothing descriptions. Callers may not realize the importance of this, but it affects officers' safety and response time."
In January of 2026, BPD received more than 21,000 911 calls. Resulting in 1,116 arrests, 185 vehicle thefts, 162 domestic violence reports, and other incidents that required a responding officer to come out.
Edmond Jackson, Senior Police Officer with the Bakersfield Police Department, said, "The questions that the dispatcher asks are very essential to our job. They tell us how we should approach things and what safety precautions we should take when on the scene. We need to know if people are hurt so we can get there in the right amount of time. Those questions help us identify who we should speak to, and if we need to bring ambulance or fire services with us."
The agency questioned in the viral video has not been publicly determined, and BPD is asking the community to remember there are real people on the other end of those calls, trained professionals who are here to help.
If you want to file a complaint, you can visit this website:
https://bakersfieldca.ciweb.com/pp/#/
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