Managing Multiple Callers

The First Call

Managing Multiple Callers

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Brief

Active shooter incidents may generate several 911 calls within seconds.

Some callers may be hiding. Some may be running. Some may be injured. Others may be calling from outside the scene, reporting what they heard or saw.

Your challenge is to gather critical information without becoming overwhelmed by the volume of calls.

Why Multiple Callers Matter

No single caller usually has the full picture.

One caller may know where the suspect entered. Another may know where victims are located. Another may see the suspect leaving. Another may report a suspicious bag, vehicle, or second suspect.

Together, multiple callers help dispatch build the operational picture.

What Multiple Callers May Report

  • Shots fired
  • Suspect location
  • Suspect description
  • Weapon information
  • Victim locations
  • People hiding
  • Evacuation routes
  • Secondary entrances or exits
  • Suspicious bags or vehicles
  • Conflicting suspect descriptions
  • Rumors or social media information

Dispatcher Tip

Multiple callers do not create confusion when information is organized.

Separate what is confirmed, reported, unconfirmed, duplicated, and urgent.

Caller Priority Types

Caller Inside the Threat Area

This caller may provide the most immediate information about suspect location, movement, weapons, victims, and hiding locations.

Priority: High

Caller Who Can See the Suspect

This caller may provide suspect description, direction of travel, weapon information, clothing, bags, or vehicle details.

Priority: High

Caller Outside the Location

This caller may provide information about evacuation, exits, parking areas, suspect vehicles, or crowd movement.

Priority: Moderate to High depending on information

Caller Reporting Social Media Information

This caller may not have firsthand information. The report should be documented and verified through agency procedures.

Priority: Depends on content and urgency

Duplicate Caller

This caller may repeat information already received, but may still provide a new detail.

Priority: Screen quickly for new critical information

The First Question for Multiple Callers

When multiple calls are coming in, the first question should quickly determine whether the caller has direct, useful information.

“Are you there now, and can you see or hear what is happening?”

This helps separate direct witnesses from callers reporting secondhand information.

Information Sorting

During multiple-caller incidents, dispatchers should mentally sort information into categories:

Category Examples
Critical Shots being fired, suspect location, victims injured, officer safety threats
Important Suspect clothing, vehicle description, direction of travel, caller location
Unconfirmed Possible second suspect, social media reports, conflicting descriptions
Duplicate Repeated reports already documented, unless a new detail is provided

Conflicting Information

Multiple callers may give different information. This does not always mean someone is wrong.

Callers may be seeing the suspect from different angles, at different times, in different lighting, or from different locations.

A suspect may also remove clothing, change direction, enter another area, or be confused with fleeing civilians or plain-clothes responders.

“Multiple descriptions being reported. One caller reports black hoodie; another reports gray jacket. Second description unconfirmed.”

Dispatcher Tip

Do not discard conflicting information too early.

Label it clearly, document it, and allow responders to verify.

Managing Caller Flow

During a surge of calls, agencies may use different procedures depending on staffing, technology, and policy.

General best practices include:

  • Keep direct witnesses on the line when possible.
  • Quickly screen duplicate callers for new critical information.
  • Document caller location and relationship to the incident.
  • Relay life-safety information immediately.
  • Identify unconfirmed information clearly.
  • Coordinate with other dispatchers to prevent duplicated or missed information.
  • Use CAD notes consistently and clearly.

What to Ask a New Caller Quickly

If calls are stacking, use a fast triage approach:

  1. Are you at the location now?
  2. Can you see or hear the suspect?
  3. Where exactly are you?
  4. Where is the suspect now?
  5. Are people injured where you are?
  6. Do you see a weapon, bag, or vehicle?
  7. Is this firsthand information or something someone told you?

Key Dispatcher Takeaway

Multiple callers can overwhelm a communications center, but they also provide the pieces needed to build the operational picture.

Your job is to identify which callers have direct, urgent, life-safety information and to make sure that information reaches responders quickly.

Multiple calls are not just noise. They are data.

Debrief

In this learning block, you learned how multiple callers can provide critical pieces of information during an active shooter incident.

You also learned how to sort caller information into critical, important, unconfirmed, and duplicate categories.

Next: Interactive Activity — Triage the Callers

Complete and Continue