Dispatch Center

The Cathedral City Dispatch Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and currently employs 3 Dispatch Supervisors and 16 full time dispatchers.  Along with dispatching for the Cathedral City Police they also handle all communications for Cathedral City Fire Department and the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.   Our staff of dispatchers answers approximately 13,700 emergency and non-emergency phone calls a month.

It is the responsibility of the police dispatcher to quickly and accurately identify the nature of your call and assist in solving the problem. The dispatcher is the critical link between the citizen and the first responder in the field.  Dispatchers are also responsible to keep track of field units and their assignments with the use of a computer aided dispatch system and a newly upgraded radio system – ERICA.

The dispatch center receives a variety of calls, which may vary from a simple request for information to a report of a life threatening emergency.  Dispatchers must ask specific questions of the caller to accurately prioritize the call and to assign the necessary personnel to handle the situation.  In times of distress or emotional upset, it is often difficult for citizens to understand the reasoning behind dispatchers’ questions.  However, our dispatchers receive extensive training on the appropriate line of questioning to pursue in order to best ensure the safety of members of the community as well as officers in the field.     

 When calling for service to a non-emergency situation we ask your patience in waiting for the arrival of a police officer, as emergency calls take priority. The officer will respond to your call as soon as possible.