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Pre-Incident & Dispatch

Circumstances before police arrive, and how the call is taken and dispatched.

Steps in this stage

Bulletins

  • Call-for-Service Classification

    How a 911 call is labeled at intake determines what resources are dispatched -- and those labels are set in under 90 seconds, often before the situation is fully understood.

    Current Version 1.0 October 19, 2026

  • Co-Responder and Alternate Dispatch Models

    Alternate dispatch programs reduce law enforcement contact in behavioral health calls, but their impact depends on how calls are classified at intake and whether capacity matches actual call volume.

    Current Version 1.0 October 19, 2026

  • Priority Codes (Code 1/2/3)

    Priority codes shape officer response mode before any information about the person is known -- and Code 3 response increases collision risk without consistently reducing harm at the scene.

    Current Version 1.0 October 19, 2026

Law & Policy

  • 911 Call-Taking, Dispatch Information, and Officer Knowledge

    A federal-law backgrounder on how courts treat information reported to 911, captured by call-takers, prioritized in CAD, transmitted by dispatch, and actually known by responding officers in police use-of-force litigation.

    Current Version 1.0 October 9, 2026