Dispatchers must send responders even for racially biased false reports

Evidence

Even in cases where the dispatcher accurately communicates what they are told on the phone, there is a thin line between calls that constitute actual emergencies and calls that stem from racial bias, and the dispatcher has to follow protocol and send first responders regardless of whether they question the caller’s reasons (Herron, 2018). — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 283

Categorization

• QUESTION: What legal or policy mechanisms make it impossible for a dispatcher to screen out clearly biased caller reports without risking liability for ‘under-response’? The tension between over- and under-response norms is worth chasing.
• SEED: This is the crack in the system through which weaponized 911 calls (‘weaponized reporting’) flow — a ready angle on how neutral protocols fail to stop bias at the point of entry.