Everybody knows

to dial 911 for help in an emergency situation.

But few people

know of the frenetic environment local emergency dispatchers handle with

a clear voice and cool head day in and day out.

On a recent

Friday afternoon, dispatchers handled a variety of calls ranging from

docile to hostile ... often in a matter of minutes. After establishing

the situation from the caller and summoning the appropriate agencies to

the scene, the dispatchers become investigators seeking the description

of any suspects, the number of people injured and other details that can

make the job of the responding officer much easier ... and safer.

A tipster that

Friday morning called 911 to notify authorities about a man with outstanding

warrants who was at a local residence.

Speaking in

a hushed tone, the caller advised the dispatcher to send more than one

officer.

As Fayetteville

police officers arrived, the suspect bolted off into the woods. Dispatcher

Michelle Brown tracked the chase, repeating the officers' location constantly

so officers on the way were aware of the situation.

After the man

fled, Brown stayed on the line to find out what the suspect was wearing

while dispatcher Eureka Franklin alerted the Sheriff's Department, which

eventually was called on to provide support with its K-9 unit.

The work eventually

paid off as officers located their man and placed him in custody.

Not every call

is nearly as exciting.

Often times,

the dispatchers must calm frantic callers, like the Fayetteville woman

whose child was locked in a car Friday afternoon.

"No ma'am,

they are not going to lock you up," Cathy Crenshaw assured the caller,

who was worried about being arrested for her oversight.

Each dispatcher

is surrounded by at least three computer screens, which provide a variety

of important information in a matter of seconds.

The location

of the caller pops up on one screen while the computer recommends which

officer to send to the call based on that location.

If all officers

in a particular area are busy, dispatchers contact a supervisor who will

determine which officer to send, said Cheryl Rogers, director of the E-911

center.

Dispatchers

also use the computers to perform instant criminal background checks for

officers in the field.

Computers also

route the radio communications to each operator, and each computer station

can be specially modified to listen in on any number of channels.

Because all

the dispatchers are in one room, it's easy for them to communicate when

necessary, particularly when assistance is needed from other police agencies

in Fayette County.

For instance,

Friday afternoon Fayetteville police and Fayette County sheriff's deputies

combined to nab a couple suspected of stealing a pair of shoes from the

Shoe Carnival at the Fayette Pavilion. Descriptions of the suspects were

obtained by dispatchers who relayed the information to responding officers.

The suspects'

vehicle was stopped minutes later another arrest secured with help from

the folks on the other end of the phone line: Fayette's 911 dispatchers.