Pasadena Police Dispatcher Marks 40 Years on the Job

For the past four decades, when Pasadenans in need called 911 for help on their darkest days, Robin Evans has been there to answer the call.

The Pasadena Police Department and the city have extended congratulations and gratitude to Evans on the occasion of her 40th anniversary as a dispatcher.

“Originally hired on June 29th, 1981 Robin is achieving an incredible milestone in policing,” the Police Department said in a social media post. “Robin, we thank you and we congratulate you on a great and ongoing career in policing.”

Evans said she has no plans of going anywhere anytime soon.

“I don’t have any plans to retire within the next year or probably the year after that,” she said.

“I still love my job today, the same as I did in 1981. I really feel as though I have been blessed because this particular career is something that I’ve always enjoyed,” Evans said. “I really feel as though I was meant to do this.”

Police dispatching is a crucial, fast-paced part of policing services, said Lt. Wiliam Grisafe.

The department generally handles around 10,000 calls for service each month, and each dispatcher may regularly handle up to 100 of them during a 12.5-hour shift, according to the lieutenant.

Each shift is staffed by five dispatchers. Four answer phone calls, while one speaks with officers via the radio.

Dispatchers must relay important information to officers before they arrive at the scene of a crime or other incidents, Evans explained.

“In addition, we’re on the phone with the callers, and no one ever calls the Police Department because they’re having a good day,” she said. “They’re people that are in crisis, they need that calm voice. They need that person on the other end to understand what they’re saying to them and to offer support, let them know that someone’s on the way to come help them or suggestions as to what to do next.”

Not everyone is cut out for the job, Evans said.

“The ability to remain resilient, in addition to empathy for the callers: I think that makes a fantastic dispatcher, because we receive all the training that we need,” she said. “But I think the empathy portion of it comes in where you can actually understand where someone’s coming from when they’re in a crisis situation and adapt to how you can help them best. That in addition to being able to multitask.

“It is very, very, very fast-paced,” she added. “We have to act very fast and make split-second decisions with information that’s just coming to us at a very fast rate.”

Dealing regularly with violence and tragedy can be challenging, Evans said.

“Those calls, especially when there’s a loss of life, those things will probably stick with me forever,” she said. “Those are extremely difficult. And then anything that involves children, that’s very difficult also.”

But the work can also be extremely satisfying.

“The other thing that sticks with me is when we’re able to dispatch officers to the scene of a crime and we’re able to catch the bad guy,” Evans said.

“When I go home, if I know that I’ve helped two or three people that day… that’s all I need for the day. It’s wonderful to me that I’m able to do something like that,” she said.

“The city of Pasadena is such a wonderful city to live in, to work in,” Evans said, adding she is proud of the Police Department. “This is truly a world-class organization. We do the best work here, and I’m just so proud to be a part of it.”