I leave my home and my family too
To go to the station my job to do,
My kids don't know when I'll work or I wont
My schedule's so crazy I sometimes don't!
It's hard to leave when my family's at home
But this shift will soon change, it won't be long.
I walk in the door and the first thing I see
Is the dispatcher on duty just before me.
With a quick rundown of the day's events,
A sympathetic smile and a couple of hints,
She's out the door and back to her life
And I whisper a prayer for safety tonight.
My two worlds are different in so many ways
The language we speak, the things that we say.
At home it's, "Mom, can I have some more, please?"
And here, it's 10-4 and 10-29P's.
Though different at times they're similar too
Because someone's life is depending on you.
You answer the phone call after call -
A lost dog, a found cat, or nothing at all.
Then the phone rings and the voice on the line
Is screaming for help and you know that it's time
Your Training takes over, you get help on the way,
As you dispatch units you silently pray.
"Oh, Lord, please go with them where ever they go
They're risking their lives for one they don't know.
For every officer I have to send
Is not just my co-worker but also my friend.
They have homes and families too,
So I'm asking you, Lord, Please see them through."
As the first of the officers arrive on the scene
You hear the radio beginning to sing.
Send Rescue, and Crime Scene, and CID
Get some more units and call 1, 2, and 3.
Send out a BOLO, call this girl's mom
Have her go to the hospital but try to sound calm.
The crisis is over and they're back on patrol
And you know it's okay to lose control.
A couple of tears, a few minutes alone
And back out you go to answer more phones.
The music's too loud, there's a cow in the road
The neighbors are watering in spite of the code.
The next dispatcher is a welcome site
When she walks in and says, "Been a long night?"
You give a quick rundown of the day's events,
A sympathetic smile and a couple of hints,
And when the last of my officers calls 10-42
Today my job's done and I go home too.
Written by :
Karen Whaley