Denice Marciner

Trigger warning: Please note that the following call for service involves domestic violence and death. If you may be sensitive to this type of matter please take note of this and proceed with caution. No names will be used. Welcome to my dispatch troll mind.

If you or anyone you know are struggling with domestic violence please reach out for help. Domestic violence hotline 800.799.SAFE (7233). Domestic violence website TheHotline.org (Please be sure to stay safe and delete your browser history.) Please call or text 911 if you are in immediate danger.

I think we might get a two-fer today. Mostly because I don’t remember all the details to one of them and they both happened within a week of each other.

It seems like when you work in dispatch – the calls you want the least of are the ones you get most frequently. And when I first started the last thing I wanted was for a call that required too much detail. And then I got the call.

A man called – I don’t remember exactly what he said – but it prompted a response for a dead body at a residence. When the officers get there all hell is breaking loose. The guy has left his father for dead. The car is on the side of the house with the murder weapon inside. And they are chasing this guy across the entire city and into the next. Lockdowns everywhere – it’s on the news before I can get comfortably off the phone. He was finally located he had multiple weapons on him and was running through the forest trying to ditch the officers.

Because that call was not my favorite – naturally I received another call a few days later. CHP called and requested a welfare check at an address. Obviously this is normal – so I ask for details and they tell me – we just pulled someone over and he had blood on him. Said he was with his girlfriend and then provides an address, there was fight and then he left because he didn’t want things to escalate. I take the information from CHP and then passed it on to our sister agency because the address is in their jurisdiction… Thankfully they share a room with us. As I’m inputting the command to transfer the call for service I get another call.

A female request a welfare check on her sister stating her sister left her house because her boyfriend was angry with her – and they were arguing. There’s extensive history with domestic violence

She provides the name of the sister – it’s the same name… But a different address…. This one in our jurisdiction – so we send.

Our sister agency does their welfare check and the house is empty.

When we our officers get to theirs – not only is it not empty…. but the blood that was on the detained subject was also all around this residence. This…. man child had beaten this young lady to death. There is nothing anyone is able to do at this point.

The sister calls in again requesting an update – I can’t tell her what they found when they got there. I have to pretend that I do not have information that is going to alter this woman’s life forever. Per policy I’m not permitted to give life altering information. So I tell her an officer will call her back when they are available.

It felt like when an officer pulls you over and tells you to hang tight and taps the hood – but you know it’s because you have a warrant and are about to go to jail.

I don’t know how the call for service ended – as a dispatcher we don’t always get to know everything. But this time there was a code-50 and that’s all I need to know to block this one out so I can get through the rest of the day.

If you or anyone you know are struggling with domestic violence please reach out for help. Domestic violence hotline 800.799.SAFE (7233). Domestic violence website TheHotline.org (Please be sure to stay safe and delete your browser history.) Please call or text 911 if you are in immediate danger.