Research Report
Behavioral Health Crime Policing November 6, 2025
Gatekeeping Justice: The Role of Communications Personnel in Shaping Public Safety
The police are often viewed as the gatekeepers of the criminal legal system (CLS), and research emphasizes how their decision-making affects various outcomes, particularly in relation to patrol officer discretion. However, public safety communications personnel (PSCP), who answer 911 calls and handle radio operations, are frequently overlooked, even though they are often the first point of contact for the public. PSCP make discretionary choices that significantly influence police decisions and can affect case outcomes (Gillooly, 2020, 2022). These choices may impact the enforcement of legal sanctions, the use of force, diversion programs, and ultimately, the jail population.
The dispatch process is complex and varies depending on the nature of the call, the specific agency, and the broader community. There are multiple points of contact the public uses to reach public safety personnel by telephone: emergency lines (i.e., 911) and various non -emergency and administrative lines. When a call comes into a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), it is typically answered by a PSCP, who will listen to the caller's information, ask probing questions, and, if the call requires a law enforcement response, enter details into computer systems, such as Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD) software.
