The Most Unusual 911 Call I Got As A Watertown PD Dispatcher

Before I got into radio, one of my first jobs that I had in the world of broadcasting was being a 911/Police/Fire Dispatcher for the town of Watertown, Connecticut.

Get our free mobile app

Yeah, I know, how the mighty have fallen, right? Now I tell you what song that was from Lynyrd Skynyrd, but back in the day, I was the one who answered your plea for help after a car accident, or a drunken assault at the Red Door. Why am I telling you this? It's National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week (April 10-16, 2022), and you may have seen your local Police departments posting photos of the folks who send you the help you so desperately need in the worst moments of your life.

I only lasted around a year at the job in Watertown, honestly, I was completely unprepared for the responsibility that comes with the job. I hadn't expected to talk to someone who is watching their loved one pass away, or give guidance to a person who had just been assaulted. The job is not for everyone, and I am thankful there are men and women more qualified than I am to handle those responsibilities.

It wasn't all dark and violent though, like the drunk female who puked all over the lobby of the PD on French Street. Aw man, it happened on a weekend overnight, and we had to smell that horrible stench coming through the lobby window the whole weekend.

The craziest 911 call I ever got though went something like this:

"911, what's the location of your emergency?" "OH MY GOD, I need an ambulance at (Whatever it was, Guernseytown Road?) RIGHT NOW! My husband was doing yard work and a raccoon fell out of a tree and knocked him out!"

"I'm not joking!"

So, I dispatched an officer and an ambulance to their address, and sure enough, when the officer got back to HQ, he came right into the dispatch center and said "Yep, it was true, the poor guy was laid out in his backyard, he was just waking up with a hell of a lump on his head, what are the odds?, and no, I didn't apprehend the raccoon."

Oh Watertown. If this was you or your husband, please contact me through the station app, I'd love to hear your side of the story.