Carolyn Light

Carolyn Light began her career in dispatching at age 20. Her time in the field encompasses seven years spent in the Montgomery County (MD) Sheriff’s Department and 17 years in the Anne Arundel County (MD) Police Department.  Currently, she serves as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for Christiansburg Police Department (CPD) in Christiansburg, Va. where she’s been employed for four years.

Undoubtedly, Light likes what she does.

“Not everybody can do it. It’s not a job for everybody,” she said.

Light pointed out that to be able to do the job effectively she has to multi-task. She’s able to answer the phone, listen to the radio and hear conversations going on in the background all at the same time. In addition, she has to type well, think quickly on her feet and have her mind set on what she has to do at any given moment.  Moreover, she believes it’s necessary to possess compassion and empathy.

She admits the job has accompanying frustrations. There are times when people who call 9-1-1 can be rude, nasty and have the expectation that she can help them with anything. Callers may state they  don’t want to talk to a police officer. Light points out that citizens are, at times, unaware of how the system works. Consequently, some will take advantage of calling 9-1-1 and engage the police on matters that aren’t considered police business or priority including keys locked in the car along with barking dogs and animal complaints.

Light makes it a habit to engage in police ride-alongs twice per month. Though the agency requires dispatchers to ride when they begin employment, Light schedules these into her plans.

“I love to ride. I love the excitement of it,” Light said. She finds it helpful to learn the hotspots and landmarks. “It helps to know your area and where you’re sending police to.”

Knowing the locations and areas where she dispatches officers also provides her with a sense of peace.

The relationship dispatchers and police in her agency have developed is a cohesive one.

“We all are pretty close. We’re bonded,” Light said. Though CPD is a small agency. “We have a lot of stuff going on.”

In the history of her dispatching career, Light recalls an incident when she worked for another agency that will always stand out in her memory. It was a domestic violence call involving a mother, father and son. The father and son were arguing, and Light was on the phone with the mother. The son was described as volatile and violent. By the time the officers arrived, he beat his father to death.

Light has also dealt with a significant number of suicide calls, and anything involving a child impacts her.

“I’ve taken a lot home with me,” Light said. She recalls an incident in which a child died while she had the mother on the phone line.

The child was barely breathing, and the mother was calling for an ambulance. The mother was crying and praying while on the phone. The child stopped breathing while Light had the mother on the line. The child was unable to be revived. Light had to maintain control and keep the mother on the line.

“They’re hard to deal with. I’ve been able to handle the calls but once they’re over, I’ve walked out of the room. If you have any caring or compassion, you never forget the call. It doesn’t go away,” Light said.

Light has been recognized for her work in the field. In 1993, when she was employed by the Anne Arundel County Police Department, she was recognized by APCO for helping a suicidal person. She’s received several unit citations when she was employed in Anne Arundel County. In addition, she’s also received several letters from people she’s assisted throughout her career.

In her present agency, the police chief acknowledges dispatchers. In Christiansburg, a citizen’s support group in the community conducts fundraisers throughout the year, and provides dispatchers gift certificates to thank each of them for the work they do. This group of citizens also provides an annual Christmas party and brings meals to the dispatchers on their various shifts.

“It’s nice to be recognized and not forgotten. It makes a difference when you’re remembered,” Light said.

When Light is not working, she enjoys visiting family on her time off and enjoys taking her cousin shopping and out for lunch. She also works on various committees enjoys crafts. She also collects cook books and loves to cook—she will cook for her shifts at work. She volunteers her time to work with rescue animals as well.

“I love animals. Cats are my favorite,” Light said. She has cats of her own, and she describes herself a “cat fanatic.”

It’s obvious that Light enjoys her job as a dispatcher and finds it rewarding. She admits if she had  to do it over again, she would become a dispatcher or a cop.

“I like helping people. I like the excitement of never knowing that type of call you’ll get—the excitement of the job,” she said.

Karen L. Bune serves as an adjunct professor at George Mason University and Marymount University in Virginia, and she’s a consultant for the Training and Technical Assistance Center for the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.  She’s a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on public safety issues. Ms. Bune is Board Certified in Traumatic Stress and Domestic Violence, and she’s a Fellow of The Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and the National Center for Crisis Management.  She serves on the Institutional Review Board of The Police Foundation, Washington, D. C.