i cant wait until my xanax kicks in 
here are facets of my life in other peoples words:
- and you sure sound like you’re in a rough spot right now.
Care to tell us a little more about what’s happening in your life ? - some of the Dopers have been known to dish out some pretty decent advice.
What I have to offer here & now is unfortunately extremely banal: Don’t sit around looking for cynical quotes if you’re down. Go do something - anything, really - instead. “You’re better of doing than thinking” or something like that.
If you care to tell us more - well, we’re right here.
S. Norman
Actually, looking up those quotes was pretty theraputic (along with the xanax LOL) because there were soooooooo many positive ones I had to dig though.
I’ve got some serious issues with some people in power at my workplace and being a police dispatcher is hard enough without the mean horrible childish people I work with on my shift making it worse. I mean, these people are just cruel like the people in high school used to be. I really am a gentle soul for the most part and I get hurt when I try my best to be nice and understanding and people throw it back in my face. I’m in the process of TRYING to get on the midnight shift…but that probably won’t happen…we shall see.
Anyway, I have a rough time ahead of me (sooo much overtime) and in this dark hour I am having trouble seeing how I will ever be able to cope. But, to add one more quote…
I think that is what I will try and take to bed with me and wake up in the morning with-- and thanks for responding Spiny Norman 
You’re welcome.
Sounds like you’re in a better frame of mind already
A job is just a bleeding job - while it pays the rent, it shouldn’t dictate your mood outside the workplace. (Now if I could just apply that bit of advice to myself…)
Pleasant dreams!
S. Norman
Spill it out gilly!
What is really on your mind?
You don’t mention how long you’ve been a dispatcher, or how long you plan to be.
It is a mighty demanding job. I couldn’t do it. Thinking of getting into another career field?
Gilly,
I, for one, appreciate the job that the police dispatchers do. We patrol quite a long distance in our mostly rural county and mostly work alone. Backup for us can be over a half hour in response.
The voice on the other end of the radio is our sole lifeline on many occasions. Any cop worth his or her weight will know how much it means to have a good dispatcher watching over us. We have a great group in our county and more than once they have pulled me out of some deep serious shit. I can never thank a good dispatcher enough.
Cops are a pretty nasty species at times, and I work with some that would kill and eat their own young. I know that dispatchers are not some impersonal voice making my life miserable. I understand the pressures and frustrations that you get put through, especially handling emergency situations. (taking hat off to you) If you need to vent and talk about it, feel free to email me. I may not have the great answeres, but I listen pretty good.
Thank you for all the sympathies everybody
Only been a dispatcher for about 4 months, and actually still not fully trained. I am going to go back to school (already have two years at a community college) at the latest next fall, but that requires me to save up enough to relocate to another city…so I’m here for awhile.
The job itself is stressful enough, but rewarding…but the frequent 12 and 16 hr shifts with no breaks at all really wear you out BAD. (people call in sick all the time and when that happens someone else has to work their shift) The worse part is frankly my supervisor is a cruel woman (who is disguesting too, she even told everyone a “tampon” story at work…the details and my comtempt for her as a human being all belong in the Pit) Anyway,I’m trying to get to another shift where people are nicer so that will help if I do…if not, well, I’ll figure out something. My favorite supervisor is on tonight so it should be an ok kind of night.
Well, off to work I go…HOPEFULLY I’ll be home in 8 hours, if not, see everybody in 12 or 16! Have a good one everybody!!
PS:Bluepony: I haven’t worked the county position (our city dispatches for the county too) so I’d really like to ask you about how it’s like on your end of the mic for information!
We aren’t doing too bad, Gillygirl. Our county just invested heavily in a new comm system so we’re still trying to get the kinks out. Still, it sounds way better than our last Motorola system which left us with some dead spots especially near the Alabama state line. Not a nice area to be losing reception in! This is “Deliverance” country we’re talking about, banjos and overalls included! 
It’s too bad that you’re understaffed over at your department. One thing I can never understand is that you don’t even get equivalent pay of sworn officers, especially with the job y’all do. It’s a pretty good feeling when you can pull off a good 911 call ain’t it? We aren’t exactly well off either, so I really feel for what they pay dispatchers.
I guess at four months you’re still on a probationary period for at least a year right? That’s probably why you haven’t accumulated enough sick leave like your fellow workers who are calling in sick and screwing off. Well, that’s civil service for you.
Stay cool, Gillygirl, hope you can make it to that other shift. I just got off mine and am happily 10-7/10-42
Oh yeah, I can hear the longnecks calling now!
LOL Well Bluepony this job is making me 10-96! 
Actually today was a pretty good day. I worked the records-check position and was sending teletypes all over the place cus it seems like everyone we picked up was 10-99 out of somewhere! LOL (one was even from New Jersey and they said yep, they would extradite-sigh LOL…that still wasn’t as bad as one saturday morning when we get called in on a questionable death-the guy drank himself to death-and it turns out the dead guy AND the two others there were all 99 out of state …we all figured what a way for those guys to wake up-dead guy in the room and all of them heading to jail
Cool about your new system…we have an old motorola system that isn’t exactly the greatest either! (plus I must add a word about officers on the radio that just key up to respond to soemthing!
“does he have a tatoo on his right arm?” “click” “were you 10-4 on that?” “click”…erg!!! LOL)
I really feel for you in those dead air spaces…ACKKKKK!!! (that movie was so freaky LOL)
On the pay-yep, it sucks LOL BUT I cant complain on the sick leave/etc…technically I have 24 hours holiday, 22 comp time, 40 sick (and ive used 8 already, so would have been 48) and 26.68 vacation time accumulated…but, I am not the type that can just call in, I know when that happens someone else gets screwed, and I like the day shift people LOL Oh well LOL
And…enjoy the beer!