4.1 Dispatcher Video Test: Tracking Four Police Units

The third part of the Comprehensive ECOMM is the subtest candidates most often call the "multitasking" test. NTN describes it this way:

"The Dispatcher Video Test looks at basic multitasking skills, key for learning and performing the job. Candidates don't need any dispatching experience. Candidates are presented with moving situations and keep track of four police units. When new calls come in, candidates will decide which units to send based on two things: where the units are, and what they're currently doing."

For every new call, NTN lists three decisions:

1. Which units to send.
2. Whether units need to be sent immediately.
3. Whether medical also needs to be sent.

NTN does not publish the number of calls, the time allowed per decision, how the scene is drawn, or how answers are scored. Treat the instructions and sample items at the start of the subtest as the rulebook. If they define which activities may be interrupted, apply that definition even if an agency you know does things differently. Everything below is a method for following those instructions reliably under time pressure.

Build a Four-Line Status Board

Dispatchers keep a picture of where every unit is and what it is doing. On the ECOMM you need the same picture for only four units, but it changes constantly. Organize it as four lines with the same fields:

Whether you can write this down depends on the note-taking materials NTN provides in your session (you cannot bring your own paper into a test center). Either way, use the same order of fields every time: unit number, place, activity, availability. A fixed order makes the board faster to rebuild in your head.

The Two Inputs: Where and What

"Where the units are"

• Distance to the new call. Closer is better, but measure along the route a car would actually drive. If the test shows a river, a freeway, or a dead end, a unit that looks close may not be.
• Direction of travel. A unit moving toward the new call gains ground every second; one moving away loses it. "Moving situations" means a position is only as good as its latest update.
• The test's picture, not your city. Use the streets, landmarks, and distances the test shows. Do not assume your hometown's layout or a real address grid.

"What they're currently doing"

Rank activities by how interruptible they are:

The core logic: never strip a unit from something at least as serious as the new call, and never let an emergency wait because your preferred unit is busy when another suitable unit exists.

Update Discipline in Moving Situations

Stale information causes more Dispatcher Test errors than poor judgment does. Make three habits automatic:

• Replace, don't add. When a unit moves or changes activity, the old entry is wrong. Overwrite it at once.
• Listen for status words. "Arrived," "cleared," "en route," "needs backup," and "suspect in custody" each change a line on your board.
• Sweep all four lines before every decision. It takes two seconds. Check Unit 1, 2, 3, 4 in order, then choose. The sweep catches the unit that cleared while you were looking elsewhere.

Worked Practice Sequence

This is a practice example written for this guide, not a reproduction of an NTN item. Start with the status board above.

Call A: "A man with a knife is threatening customers inside the store at 450 Main." The crime is in progress and involves a weapon, and nobody is reported hurt yet.

• Which units: Unit 1 is free and on Main heading toward the 400 block, so it is the clear first choice. Unit 3 is closer to some parts of town but is already on a fight in progress, so it stays.
• Immediately: Yes. An armed threat in progress cannot wait.
• Medical: Not yet. No injury has been reported, though that may change.

Update: Unit 4 reports it has cleared the collision at 12th and Pine and is available. Unit 2 is still on its report. Your board changes: Unit 4 is now free.

Call B: "The neighbor's dog has been barking since this morning." This is a routine call with no danger.

• Which units: Unit 4 (now free) or Unit 2 after it finishes its report. Either is defensible, but keep at least one unit free for the next emergency.
• Immediately: No. A barking-dog complaint can wait for a unit to come free.
• Medical: No.

Update: Unit 1 reports it has arrived at 450 Main. The caller says a customer was cut on the arm.

Call A changes: Someone is now injured, so medical must also be sent. Police are already on scene. In real practice, medical crews wait nearby until officers confirm the scene is safe (Section 2.3). On the test, recognize that the medical question now has a different answer.

Common Errors

• Closest-but-busy. Choosing the nearest unit even though it is handling an urgent call.
• Ghost positions. Using where a unit was instead of where it is after it moved.
• Sending everyone. Committing all four units to one call leaves no one for the next emergency.
• Forgetting medical. Answering "which units" correctly but missing an injury mentioned in the call or in a later update.
• Over-waiting. Holding an emergency for a "perfect" unit when another free unit can go now.