Autauga County, Alabama Dispatchers Played Vital Role After Shooting of Prattville Police Officer

PRATTVILLE, Alabama -- It was a normal call, right up to when a Prattville police officer was shot.

Dispatchers at the Autauga County E-911 handle emergency calls for the Prattville police and fire departments and the volunteer fire departments in the county. On June 8, things went bad quickly on the call that sent Sgt. Donnie Martin and Officer Tyler Ray to a house on Patrick Street for a domestic violence call.

Stephanie Rawlinson took the initial call, where the 42-year-old woman made the complaint. A veteran dispatcher, Rawlinson has more than 24 years in with the agency.

More: 'I knew I had been shot': Prattville officer describes 1 minute, 12 seconds that changed his life

"There was a lady on the line saying she was having an argument with her roommate," Rawlinson said. "I could hear a man in the background asking her not to make him leave. There was nothing in the call that made it appear to be anything but a routine call.

"The lady told me that he had left the room, that there were no weapons involved and that they had separated."

Dispatch flags addresses of frequent calls, so they can warn responding officers of any possible threats. This address, 137 Patrick St., did not appear in the records as being any threat.

Ray's body camera footage shows it took one minute and 12 seconds from when he and Martin first made contact with witnesses to when Martin had been shot once in the chest. His bullet resistant vest is credited with saving his life.

A full shift at communications is four dispatchers on duty. Charity Mayer, who at the time had about eight months on the job, took the next radio call of Martin saying that shoots had been fired and that he was requesting backup.

"At first, all we knew was that shots had been fired," Mayer said. "There was no indication that an officer had been hit."

A few seconds later Martin broadcasted that an officer had been hit, but he didn't identify himself as being the one hit. Things in dispatch went into overdrive, but controlled overdrive. You can train, you can conduct drills, but until the real time call comes in you'll never know, said Shettela Carrol, operations manager at communications.

"Training takes over," she said. "You request the medics, you handle the call. You get them what they need."

Sitting miles away behind a computer screen doesn't make it any easier. Officers are more than radio call signs to dispatchers here. In most cases the officers and dispatchers have worked together for years.

Rawlinson and Mayer stuck with the call, while Carroll and David Durin, the shift supervisor, backed them up. There were still unrelated calls coming in that had to be handled. An audio tape of the 911 calls was posted on YouTube shortly after the incident.

In it you hear other responding officers giving updates and calling for backup. You hear Prattville Fire Department medics and supervisors responding to the scene. An officer calls for the SWAT team. About two minutes in Police Chief Mark Thompson comes on the air and calls for all non-related radio traffic to halt.

"That really helped, because it allowed us to concentrate on that one call," Carrol said.

Meanwhile, Laurel Shaw a newly hired dispatcher, was on a ride along with a Prattville police officer. Communications had just started a new policy where dispatchers are allowed to ride along with officer, so they could get an idea of what the officers have to deal with, Carrol said.

Shaw was at an automobile accident when the shots fired call went out. The officer she was with was directing traffic. About 10 minutes later the officer wrapped up and sped to the scene.

"It gives you a different perspective," Shaw said. "We were right there when SWAT starting showing up. It gives you a different view of what time is in the office and what time is to them out on the street."

Everything worked well that day, Thompson said. Communication is key in an emergency situation, he said.

"We got everything we needed that day," he said.

Back at communications, along with handling the call, there was concern for the officer that had been shot.

"Any updates on his condition didn't go out over the air," Carrol said. "We used our personal phones to find out how he was doing."

Teamwork was key, Rawlinson said.

"We backed one another up, like we are supposed to do," she said.

Through it all, the voices on the radio were calm and business like. When asked how they kept the emotions out of it, the dispatchers just answered with headshakes and shoulder shrugs.

"I tell people you have it or you don't, that ability to remain calm," Carrol said.

It's a requirement on this job, said the veteran Rawlinson.

"Our job is to get the officers what they need, or to get the information that is needed from the callers," she said. "We have to present a calm voice and demeanor to help maintain control the situation."