Method and system for the police response dispatch protocol of an emergency dispatch system

• US 7,436,937 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey J. Clawson
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey J. Clawson
• Inventors: Clawson, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Stella L
• Application Number:
  US10/255,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20070116189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,211 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/38, 379/37, 379/42, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.13
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A method and system for receiving, processing, responding and managing police request calls is described. A consistent, standard and systematic process is provided which in combination with adequate training, supervision and quality assurance service to provide a technique for classifying the criticality of calls into various determinate levels for appropriate response.

Claims

1. A method for managing the process of dispatching police in response to calls for assistance, comprising the steps of:

providing instructions to a police dispatcher, including instructions to inquire for specific information, receive said specific information and to use said specific information in said method to determine a determinate value;

receiving a call from a caller for police assistance;

determining whether the caller is in danger;

diverting the caller to pre-scripted critical caller instructions if said determining of danger is positive, said pre-scripted critical caller instructions comprising,

determining if it is possible for the caller to safely relocate to a safer location,

instructing the caller to relocate if said determining of safe relocation is positive, wherein said relocation instructions comprise instructing the caller to terminate the call if the call may not be continued during caller relocation, and

providing the caller with instructions to allow the caller to communicate safely;

instructing the caller while determining the type of call;

a pre-scripted interrogation automatically assigning one of a plurality of pre-established determinate values to said call based on a description of a problem for which the caller is requesting police assistance, wherein said assigned determinate value indicates the criticality of the call, and wherein said pre-scripted interrogation automatically assigns said determinate value by

providing to a police dispatcher a plurality of pre-scripted inquiries for specific information to obtain a description of said problem, wherein said pre-scripted inquiries are ordered to guide said pre-scripted interrogation to systematically obtain said description of said problem and to traverse a path along a logical tree based on responses to said pre-scripted inquiries, and wherein said path along said logical tree ends at an appropriate pre-established determinate value,

instructing said dispatcher to interrogate said caller using said plurality of pre-scripted inquiries,

receiving from said dispatcher the caller responses to said pre-scripted inquiries, and

using said caller responses to traverse said logical tree and thereby assign said appropriate pre-established determinate value; and

dispatching police assistance based on said determinate value.

2. A method, as recited in claim 1, wherein said automatically assigning a determinate value further comprises:

(1) setting a value indicating most urgent response is required if said specific information indicates an immediate life threatening situation;

(2) setting a value indicating urgent response required if said specific information indicates a person in danger;

(3) setting a value indicating a business-like orderly response if said specific information indicates a hazard without an immediate threat to a person;

(4) setting a value indicating a safest arrival method possible response if said specific information indicates a least serious call; and

(5) setting a value for referral if said specific information indicates that no response is required.

3. A method, as recited in claim 1, wherein said specific information is related to an abduction or kidnapping.

4. A method, as recited in claim 1, wherein said specific information is related to one selected from the group consisting of an alarm, an animal call, an assault, a sexual assault, an assistance call, an automobile crime, a bomb found, a bomb threat, burglary, damage, vandalism, a deceased person, a disturbance, a domestic disturbance, a driving while intoxicated event, drugs, an explosion, fraud, deception, harassment, indecency, a juvenile, a mental disorder, a miscellaneous call, a missing person, an officer assist call, a public service call, a robbery, a suicidal person, a supplemental call, a suspicious person, a theft, a traffic accident, a traffic violation, trespassing, an unknown party, weapons.

5. A method, as recited in claim 1, wherein said pre-scripted critical caller instructions further comprise determining whether the caller can talk freely.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said pre-scripted critical caller instructions further comprise determining whether the caller can communicate by tapping on a telephone used by the caller.

7. A method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing post-dispatch instructions to the caller.

8. A method for managing the process for responding to a call for police assistance in a general purpose computer system comprising:

a central processing unit;

dynamic memory;

static memory;

a display device;

an input device;

an output device;

a mass storage device, which contains

a number of police call response instruction records;

a number of type of call profiles;

a number of caller instructions;

the method comprising;

providing instructions to a police dispatcher, including instructions to inquire for specific information, to receive said specific information, and to use said specific information in said method to determine a determinate value;

receiving a call from a caller for police assistance;

inquiring for specific information, including inquiring if the caller is in danger from a third party;

upon determining that a caller is in danger, diverting the caller to pre-scripted critical caller instructions, said pre-scripted critical caller instructions comprising,

determining if it is possible for the caller to safely relocate to a safer location,

instructing the caller to relocate if said determining of safe relocation is positive, wherein said relocation instructions comprise instructing the caller to terminate the call if the call may not be continued during caller relocation, and

providing the caller with instructions to allow the caller to communicate safely;

instructing caller while determining the type of call;

a pre-scripted interrogation automatically assigning one of a plurality of pre-established determinate values to said call based on a description of a problem for which the caller is requesting police assistance, wherein said pre-scripted interrogation automatically assigns said determinate value by

providing to a police dispatcher a plurality of pre-scripted inquiries for specific information and obtain a description of said problem, wherein said pre-scripted inquiries are ordered to guide said pre-scripted interrogation to systematically obtain said description of said problem and to traverse a path along a logical tree based on responses to said pre-scripted inquiries, and wherein said path along said logical tree ends at an appropriate pre-established determinate value,

instructing said dispatcher to interrogate said caller using said plurality of pre-scripted inquiries,

receiving from said dispatcher caller responses to said pre-scripted inquiries, and

using said caller responses to traverse said logical tree and thereby assign said appropriate pre-established determinant level; and

directing a dispatch of police assistance based on said determinate value.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said pre-scripted critical caller instructions further comprise determining whether a telephone used by the caller is mobile.