Call-processing time

Call-processing time is the interval used to receive, assess, and prepare a request for a defined dispatch milestone. The exact start and end depend on the source. A useful measure identifies those events explicitly, because processing may be reported separately from waiting for an answer or waiting for an available unit.

A label for part of the response

Call information can move through several stages before responders begin traveling. A timing label should show which part is measured instead of relying on the word “processing” alone.

San Francisco's calls-for-service documentation, for example, distinguishes intake from a later dispatch queue. Its intake interval runs from the recorded receipt of the call to entry into that queue. This is a local example of why adjacent stages need separate definitions. San Francisco interval definitions.

Example

Hypothetical: A report defines processing as answer to unit notification. A call is answered at 14:00:10, and the unit is notified at 14:01:25. Processing under that rule takes 75 seconds.

A second report ends its processing measure when the request enters a dispatch queue at 14:00:55. Its result is 45 seconds. Both calculations can be internally correct, but the 30-second difference is a difference in measurement scope. Comparing the figures as if they measure the same work would be misleading.

Common confusion

Processing time is not the full length of the phone conversation. A caller may remain connected after the measured dispatch milestone. Nor does it necessarily include the unit's preparation or travel.

Dispatch time may be used as a synonym for one processing interval, or it may mean a timestamp. Read the field definition before subtracting values or combining measures. Labels that sound similar do not guarantee matching endpoints.

Evaluating a summary

Name the included request types and the handling of transfers, cancellations, and missing timestamps. State whether the result is an average, median, percentile, or percentage within an adopted objective.

Do not add separately published averages unless they describe compatible records and consecutive intervals. Different exclusions can make an apparent total mathematically misleading. Where possible, calculate the complete interval for each eligible record first, then summarize those record-level results. A transparent method helps readers see which part of the response a change actually concerns.

Related terms

• Call-answering time
• Dispatch time
• Queue time
• Turnout time

Sources

• San Francisco Digital Services: Law Enforcement Dispatched Calls for Service — Revised September 10, 2021; distinguishes local intake, queue, and later response intervals.