Which component of police operations includes call taking, dispatching, and call disposition?

• A. Computer-Aided Dispatch
• B. Crime Analysis
• C. Case Screening
• D. Directed Patrol

Answer: (A)

Handling and coordinating responses to incidents hinges on a system that manages call intake, unit dispatch, and the final disposition of each incident in real time. Computer-Aided Dispatch is the tool that brings all of this together. It provides the software and data framework for recording an incoming call, assigning appropriate police units, tracking their status and location as they respond, and updating the case with the final disposition once the incident is resolved. This live, integrated workflow is what ties the entire dispatch process together.

Crime Analysis focuses on examining crime data to identify patterns, trends, and hotspot areas to guide strategic decisions, not the real-time intake and dispatch of calls. Case Screening involves initial review of reports to determine whether they should be opened as cases or routed for further processing, but it doesn’t handle the ongoing live dispatch and status updates. Directed Patrol refers to proactive deployment of patrol resources based on patterns or intelligence, rather than the day-to-day flow of call intake and response.

So, the component that includes call taking, dispatching, and call disposition is the Computer-Aided Dispatch system.