• ricecake@sh.itjust.works
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      10 days ago

      It’s more common in high population areas, but it does happen.
      The obsession with running government services like a business results in some notions about efficiency where someone getting paid to work and not being busy all the time is worse than people regularly waiting for critical time sensitive assistance.

      It also has the zesty side effect of making the dispatch operators overworked and rushed. This usually just manifests as mistakes, but sometimes results in anger and critical mistakes. The famous example of the operator who yelled at a kid for calling because his mom had a seizure in the bath and she didn’t believe him comes to mind.

      • CancerMancer@sh.itjust.works
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        10 days ago

        People’s opinion on insurance: “boy am I glad that’s there if I ever need it”

        Their opinion on having extra dispatchers to pick up bursts of activity: “why the fuck are we paying them to sit around”

        Both of those things are stuff you pay for but may never need, but only one of them is a human and that’s the one we get upset about.

      • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
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        9 days ago

        Just wow. I mean everyone has a really shitty day and stuff can happen,we’re all just human. But dispatcher is one of those jobs that should never be understaffed nor overworked. Like docs or nurses or EMTs or… Jeez…

    • Avatar_of_Self@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Where I live not only do we get put on hold but sometimes they don’t answer (not enough dispatchers) and response time (except for shop lifters which is quick response) is about 4.5 hours for serious stuff and 72 hours, if they do show up according to my own experience and those I know in the community.

      Their budget is right over $4 Billion/year. The area I live in gives a boost of around $60 mil/year on top for expanded help so we don’t have to have our own city PD.

      Also I wanted to add it’s the Sheriff, so we do contribute to the 4 bill/year via county tax like everyone else and are in their jurisdiction already.

      Fantastic return on investment.

      • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
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        9 days ago

        Wtf? You’re us-american, right? 4.5hrs? Why even call at all. Makes it totally useless.

        At one store of mine, robberies were regular. I had an automatic alarm,which called for cops and they were there not 3 minutes later. Granted their station was just 3 minutes away, but still. Robbers usually managed to find a general direction for what they wanted by that time. But I always had pristine new windows thanks to that 😁

        4.5hrs…i could’ve gone there myself. After watching a movie, meeting some friends, doing the taxes and…

        • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          There’s a thread of legitimacy to “defending oneself and their property” in the US sure to how poor response times are, but honestly, it’s just stuff. Why risk killing someone or getting killed?

          The distinctly inept class-traitors known as cops are understood to really only be there to file paperwork for insurance. Lock your good stuff up in a real safe with time controls.

          • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
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            8 days ago

            Man…your cops are so different from ours. Maybe because it’s a real job here with requirements, mental and physical assesment, and even years long training. The assclowns won’t even survive day one of the assessments.

            But also yeah, I wouldn’t risk self-defense either (if it’d be allowed). Stuff can be replaced. I just didn’t think of that coz noone carries guns here except cops. And maybe some mobsters. You just call the cops and piss off.

            • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
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              8 days ago

              I’m not sure what changed, but NYPD et al have always been at least mildly corrupt. I wonder what changed that got them to forget to be honorable with the people they’re supposed to help.

              Like you said, I also doubt many could handle a day in another country.

              • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
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                8 days ago

                I wouldn’t wonder about corruption. Bad pay, hard economy and sluggish selection of cops lead to that. That is so sad, especially for a country that loves to see itself as civilization’s tip of the spear.

                No wonder people have so much hate for cops

                • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
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                  8 days ago

                  Nah those guys are getting 90k+ per year, almost best employee benefits in the city (after our sanitation guys), and a few other things.

                  Sluggish selection is a good question. If you look at a video of this incident, the Swedish cops on vacation broke up the brawl professionally and nobody got hurt.

                  Then and now, multiple people I’ve spoken with have expressed sincere doubt NYPD would have treated them as cleanly.

                  • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
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                    8 days ago

                    90k? That’s quite a lot (I guess). Surely more than I would’ve expected. Why the good pay? Aren’t they also greatly insured as gov employees?

                    Hm, yes. I’m no Swedish but those are the kind of cops I know. Professional de-escalizers, not trigger-happy lunatics with a short fuse.