Back to Dispatch

So after my adventure in Salt Lake, Monday morning March 15th I returned to my job walking through the door at the Box Elder County Sheriff's to resume my role as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. There was some trepidation.

When we were expecting our third child, there was an upheaval at the Weber Dispatch Center. In pouring over policy, to find out where we as employees had been wronged, I stumbled across the maternity leave policy. Apparently you are entitled to up to twelve weeks maternity leave. The policy was unspecific as to which gender is entitled to this leave.

This got the wheels turning in my head. I had ooooodles of sick leave, and I was sure at that point I wasn't going to stay there forever. So I notified the director of my intention to take six weeks off of work following the birth of the baby. She had a stunned look on her face when I told her and mentioned that if I wanted to come back early, to let her know. I was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen.

So for the next six weeks I enjoyed a new baby and spent time at home sleeping at night like a normal person.

Eventually the six weeks ran out. Weber County, because they are smarter than the rest of us, begins its pay week on Friday. This makes tons of sense; just ask them.

So Friday evening, seconds before 8:00 PM, I returned to work. Because it was a Friday night, it was busy. They sent me over to work the North radio channel. I sat down and struggled to remember how to sign on to the different systems - 9-1-1 computer, Records interface, and the computer-aided dispatch program took a minute or two because they all have different log-in names and passwords.

I was hoping for a moment to settle in, but the deluge of radio requests began pouring over me. While I was gone, the Drivers License/Motor Vehicle records interface had changed. Not only was it radically different, but it used to pop that window to the top when a record returned. Now it remained firmly snuggled behind everything else you were doing.

I also could only remember one CAD command. "VZ" was the command for View haZard. So every time someone would send me a call, I would look at the address and call type - hmmmm, burglary in Farr West. Then wanting to see the details on the call I typed VZ. This told me that there was Chlorine stored at Ogden High School. The narrative of the call was lost to me.

I tried to ask coworkers for some help, but everyone was so busy that I just ended up floundering most of the night. I'm pretty sure all of the officers and most of my coworkers hated my guts that night. Not only did I take six weeks off of work, but when I returned, I was right next to useless.

All of this emotional baggage returned with me as I arrived at work at Box Elder - would I remember the job? would they hate my guts? would I remember all the things to type to make the system work? could I find my stash of candy? who had been using my office toothbrush?

As I opened my office door I found . . .

. . . my office full of balloons.

I popped a few and then invited Ellie and Becca to come help me.




The popped balloons revealed an advent calendar marking my return with the last link on the chain


I'm not sure if it they were glad to have me back or experiencing more of an impending sense of doom



Thanks to all those who blew up balloons all night long to ensure I had a happy return to Box Elder. Also thanks to the vigilant dispatchers who helped make sure I remembered the stuff I needed to work the floor.