Phoenix 911 Operators Can Now Decompress In PD’s New ‘Quiet Room’

PHOENIX, AZ – The Phoenix Police Department’s new “quiet room” was dedicated Tuesday by police and city officials. The Quiet Room was donated by the Rotary Club’s District No. 5495, aiming to give the department’s 911 operators a relaxing place to decompress after handling stressful emergency calls, police officials reported. The Quiet Room reinforces the PD’s 2019 Strategic Plan commitment to foster employee wellness.

“We understand the emotional and physical impact that calls for service can have on our employees, especially our communications operators who answer 911 calls and dispatch first responders,” a Phoenix PD representative reported. “Our communication operators are the first to provide the much-needed help to those people who may be experiencing the worst day of their lives.”

Phoenix police communication operator Rosenda Mendoza told AZ Central that about 90 percent of the calls she fields can affect police operators emotionally, particularly calls involving crimes against children. “It is hard to listen to calls when a child is locked in a car in this heat, but being in the Quiet Room after listening to those calls can be helpful to our mind where I can regroup, reassess, take a breath and be ready to take more calls to help those who need our help,” she explained. The Phoenix PD also said that the 911 dispatchers' calls can take a toll emotionally on operators nearly every day.

Meanwhile, the dimly lit Quiet Room features welcoming home décor and comfortable home-style seating in a relaxing atmosphere. Police 911 operator Olga Balenzuela told Fox 10 that “sometimes you just want to sit. You don’t have to talk, but knowing that you have somewhere to go and there’s going to be someone there next to you when you’re ready to express yourself or just talk about it or not” provides relief, she said. The Phoenix PD is also offering counseling to dispatchers after rough calls.