Austin Roman, Warren Police's newest dispatcher, looks over screens while answering fire calls in the department's dispatch center April 13.
By: Brian Wells | Warren Weekly | Published April 17, 2026
WARREN — Every shift in the Warren Police Department’s dispatch center is different.
On a Monday night in April, a team of three dispatchers juggled phones that rarely stopped ringing.
In one corner, dispatcher Linda DeVooght, was handling all police radio calls. Across the room, Austin Roman — the department’s newest dispatcher — handled all fire calls and phone calls. Between them, Darrian Clark handled everything else.
“It’s insane here,” DeVooght said.
In almost every case, dispatchers are the first point of contact in an emergency. The job often requires juggling multiple calls at once and coordinating with officers and first responders to ensure each emergency is handled.
“We’re the first people that respond to your emergency. You call us, and we are the first people to know about anything that you’ve got going on,” said Clark. “Nobody sees us, we don’t go on the road. We’re literally the voice behind the headset.”
Roman said the public often has a different perception of the job.
“I think the public just looks at this room and doesn’t really understand what’s behind it,” he said. “They probably think it’s some big skyscraper building with 50 to 100 people.”
Roman said the department’s dispatchers — usually working in small groups — are responsible for nearly 200,000 residents, not including people who commute into the area.
He said in the eleven months he’s been in the position, the call volume can sometimes be overwhelming.
“It’s not really a challenge, I wouldn’t say, but when you’re getting 25, 30 calls at once and only two people are answering, it’s tough,” Roman said. “Every caller, arguably, is having the worst day of their life, so it has to be perfect.”
DeVooght said the department generally runs a minimum of three dispatchers on an overnight shift but would normally have four. The department is currently short eight to 10 dispatchers, she said. Ideally, there would be six on the overnight shift.
In addition to staffing shortages, DeVooght said the public’s changing perception of the Police Department has also posed a challenge.
“There’s just a lot of people angry with us all the time,” she said. “There’s not as much respect for the police, so when they’re talking, sometimes there’s literally no respect. They don’t understand that if they call and have a fight with somebody and set their phone down, we don’t know exactly where they’re at.”
While the job can be stressful, Clark said she enjoys knowing that she’s helping people.
“Over my career, I’ve been doing this for 12 years total, and I’ve delivered six babies,” she said. “I like knowing that I’m helping people on their worst days.”
Clark added that she likes the teamwork aspect of the job. Earlier in April, when bad storms hit the area, she stayed late when dispatchers were answering more than 800 calls over a four-hour span — more than the average 200, she said.
“I just like the teamwork, helping my partners out, knowing that they’re there for me and I’m here for them and we can get the job done,” she said.
Clark said she always tries to remain positive on the job.
“It’s not always a good environment, but we have to make it a good environment. So I come to work, and I try to have a good day no matter what,” she said. “We can’t always be negative, and we take the worst phone calls. Nobody calls 911 because it’s a good day. So I just try to be positive.”
Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said the dispatchers are the lifeline for the officers and the community.
“While they work behind the scenes, they are the first link in the public safety chain,” he said. “Our dispatchers handle the chaos with a steady voice and a sharp mind. Their skills, composure and commitment to public safety help our officers go home safe and ensure our community remains protected.”
Call Staff Writer Brian Wells at (248) 291-7637.