Going from calm to chaos in two seconds

Fate and scheduling conspired to put Cheney Police Department dispatcher Ben James at the center of a couple of 2018’s biggest events.

And for those closer to the action, the combination that enabled them to work with the department’s 2018 Dispatcher of the Year worked in their favor.

It’s the second time the 2001 Royal City High School and eventual Central Washington University graduate has received the award, being selected by his fellow dispatchers and officers in 2016. Impressive credentials for the former Merrill Lynch financial adviser who began at Cheney in 2012.

“He is now a much more seasoned veteran, is able to rely on his experience and training to where he is able to react instantly to situations, anticipate officer’s needs and make excellent decisions and judgment calls,” Cheney communications director Cathy Munoz said in an email.

Some of that experience and training came James’ way prior to answering his first call at Cheney. Nine months at Merrill Lynch in Spokane led the business administration graduate to see that career wasn’t for him — leading to a different path.

James enrolled at Whitworth University and after three years received a master’s degree in mental health counseling. But upon graduation, James found positions in the field scarce.

“But that’s alright because it brought me here,” James said.

One day his wife showed him a newspaper ad for a police dispatcher position with Cheney. James applied, interviewed and was hired, and after completing six weeks of training, began a new career.

“A lot of people don’t like their job, James said. “I do. I enjoy coming to work.”

Life as a dispatcher can run the gamut of events. While interviewing for this story, James fielded a call from a resident asking to set up a vacation check by officers, another from an officer on patrol requesting whether or not an individual had a license and helped a man at the station’s front counter needing fingerprinting for his concealed pistol license.

Those were routine.

“Things can be calm most of the day, and then total chaos — zero to 60 in two seconds,” James said.

That happened several times for James this year. In October, he was on duty when a fire that broke out at a transient camp near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks north of Mullinix Road rapidly expanded and threatened 1st Street businesses as well as campers at Peaceful Pines RV Park and Campground.

James fielded calls seeking information ranging from where the fire was headed to what routes to take if residents needed to evacuate, and where to go for those who had already been ordered to do so.

James was also on duty in September when Cheney officers shot and killed a man who charged them with a knife in the parking lot at Mitchell’s Harvest Foods in what eventually turned out to be a suicide. James said the incident was “fast-paced,” requiring calls to several law enforcement agencies within the first 1-2 minutes.

He also was on the open line with the individual who called in the report when he heard the shots being fired. Afterwards, officers requested he call the individual back, and when he did so, the cellphone lying next to the victim went off.

James said his mental health education and training pays off during incidents such as these and others where he handles “elevated callers.” Some of those are suicidal while others are excited about what might be taking place around them.

“Every time I get a call I always try to keep my voice as level as possible,” James said. “Remaining calm in the middle of chaos is a big plus at this job.”

Munoz agrees.

“He is a very caring and compassionate person, but is able to stay very calm and separate his own emotions and feelings from the situation to provide excellent service,” she said. “By the luck of the draw, Ben handled the most serious calls of 2018 and did so with a grace and skill level that I admire.”

For James’ part, he’s humbled by receipt of another award.

“It’s definitely an honor that the guys I work with appreciate me,” James said about receiving the award. “There are a lot of things to do and learn in this job, and I try to do the best each day.”

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].