The early morning hours of May 12, 2015 were like any other shift for Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Dispatcher II Patrice Witty. But at about 4 AM, all of that was to change, proving there is no such thing as “routine” in law enforcement.
The California Highway Patrol requested “Code 3 cover” on Empire Avenue in Oakley. A CHP officer was in pursuit of a stolen vehicle that had gotten stuck at that location. The driver fled on foot and the CHP officer was alone.
Dispatcher Witty was working the east county radio channel at the time. This incident involved Oakley police, Office of the Sheriff Delta station, CHP ground units and their helicopter. Antioch PD assisted with a police K-9. Throughout this lengthy incident, Dispatcher Witty calmly and efficiently managed radio traffic and fielded many requests. She managed to keep track of multiple locations, kept the units well informed with prompt updates, and took excellent notes that went into the CAD incident.
The suspect ran through residential streets, jumped through backyards, into the vineyards more than once, and at one point entered a home and struck the resident with a wrench. “When the suspect was in the area of Susie Ct. and Winchester Drive, I thought to myself that he was awfully close to my house,” said Dispatcher Witty. Shortly after, a call came in to say the suspect was hiding in a backyard of a house on Kali Ct. “I definitely was panicked and yelled out – that’s my house!” said Witty. Her colleagues offered to take over the dispatch duties for the incident but Witty kept at it.
That caller turned out to be Witty’s husband, who locked all doors and provided crucial information on what he was seeing and hearing. The suspect jumped into their backyard several times and hid under an awning. The suspect twice tried to gain access to the house through the back sliding door, but fled when Witty’s husband yelled at him. Eventually the suspect was caught by the Office of the Sheriff as he ran through a vineyard.
“I was never happier to get home from work that morning,” said Witty. Her two children slept through the entire incident. “It’s been a bit harder thinking about it now, but I am glad no one was seriously hurt and the suspect was apprehended.”
Supervisors had praise for the way she handled the incident, “Dispatcher Witty chose to keep the channel and remained calm and professional on the radio at all times. She worked it through to successful completion, when units had one in custody.”
Information provided by the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
1 comment
Smart to write an article about where a police dispatcher lives……
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