Contact

GlossaryDispatch and call records

Call number

A call number identifies a dispatch event. Learn how to use it without confusing it with a case number, a phone number, or a count of incidents.

A call number is an identifier assigned to a request or event in a dispatch system. It helps staff retrieve the record and connect associated activity. It may be called a CAD number, event number, or incident number. It is not the caller's telephone number, and it may differ from the number assigned to a written police report.

An identifier for a particular system

Computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, organizes communications and response history around records. A call number provides a way to refer to one of those records without repeating the entire location and description. The BJA-supported CAD functional specifications describe assigning a unique call number when a new request is created and potentially assigning a separate records-system case number. BJA/LEITSC CAD specifications

“Unique” needs a scope. A number might be unique within one agency, one year, or one combined system. The same character sequence appearing in another agency's export does not establish that the records concern the same event.

Numbers are useful linking fields only when their formats and relationships are understood. Leading zeros, prefixes, and punctuation can be meaningful. Treating the value as an ordinary arithmetic number can remove information needed for a match.

Example

Hypothetical example: Dispatch event C26-004812 records a damaged traffic signal. Two units are assigned under that call number. An officer also creates written report R26-001906, and the records contain a cross-reference between the identifiers.

The two identifiers refer to related records in this example; they are not two separate street events. Searching only the report number in a dispatch export could fail even though the call is present under its own identifier. The example formats are invented and do not represent an agency convention.

Common confusion

A case number identifies a case or report in the agency's records system. Some agencies reuse identifiers, while others maintain separate sequences. Never assume either arrangement without documentation.

A duplicate call may have its own number and a link to an earlier record. Multiple numbers can therefore concern one underlying event. Conversely, repeated rows with the same number can be updates or unit-level records rather than duplicate data errors.

Limits on counting and lookup

Do not estimate workload by subtracting the first number from the last. Sequences can include omitted categories, unused values, or records outside the public release. For a records inquiry, retain the agency name, date, location, and exact identifier so the receiving office can distinguish the intended record.

Sources