CritiCall Dispatcher Test Dispatcher Map Reading and Directions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer is at Main St. and 5th Ave heading north. A suspect flees east on 6th Ave. What direction should a second unit travel on 4th Ave to intercept?
- North on 4th Ave (Correct answer)
- South on 4th Ave
- East on 4th Ave
- West on 4th Ave
Correct answer: North on 4th Ave
To intercept someone heading east on 6th Ave, a unit on 4th Ave (south of 6th) should travel north to reach 6th Ave and cut off the suspect's path.
Grid-based navigation is a core dispatch skill. If avenues run east-west and are numbered (4th, 5th, 6th), then 6th is north of 4th. A unit on 4th Ave must travel north to reach 6th Ave and position to intercept the eastbound suspect. Understanding street numbering systems is essential for rapid containment coordination.
Question 2: A caller gives their location as 'the northeast corner of Park Blvd and Oak Street'. If you are viewing a standard north-up map, which corner is northeast?
- Lower left
- Upper left
- Upper right (Correct answer)
- Lower right
Correct answer: Upper right
On a standard north-up map, northeast is up-and-to-the-right — the upper right corner of an intersection.
Map reading conventions: north = up, south = down, east = right, west = left. Northeast combines north (up) and east (right), placing it at the upper right. Dispatchers must instantly visualize caller locations on digital maps using directional descriptions. Error in directional interpretation can send units to the wrong corner of an intersection.
Question 3: You need to route a unit from the precinct to an incident on the east side of the city quickly. The direct route is blocked by a reported road closure. What is the BEST dispatcher action?
- Tell the unit to wait until the road is cleared
- Provide an alternate route using the next parallel street to the north or south (Correct answer)
- Dispatch from a different precinct instead
- Have the unit attempt the closed road and report back
Correct answer: Provide an alternate route using the next parallel street to the north or south
Dispatchers must know alternate routes in their service area and communicate them clearly when primary routes are unavailable.
Effective dispatchers maintain situational awareness of road closures, construction, and traffic conditions. When a primary route is blocked, the fastest alternative is typically a parallel route at the next available street. Dispatchers use CAD mapping tools and local geographic knowledge to provide real-time route guidance to units in the field.
Question 4: A caller reports an accident 'about half a mile south of the highway 12 overpass on Route 7'. How should you handle this location description?
- Enter 'half mile south of overpass' and dispatch
- Use the description to identify the approximate GPS coordinates or address using mapping tools, then dispatch (Correct answer)
- Ask the caller for a precise street address before dispatching
- Dispatch units to the overpass and have them search from there
Correct answer: Use the description to identify the approximate GPS coordinates or address using mapping tools, then dispatch
Landmark-relative descriptions can be converted to map coordinates using CAD/GIS tools. Units should be dispatched immediately with the best available location data.
Not all callers can provide street addresses — especially on highways and rural roads. Dispatchers use CAD-integrated GIS and mapping tools to plot landmark-relative descriptions and generate coordinates or closest address markers. Units are dispatched immediately with the best available location and updated as the position is refined.
Question 5: What does 'north-south' street orientation typically mean in a standard U.S. city grid?
- Streets run parallel to each other east to west
- Streets run perpendicular to avenues and extend from north to south (Correct answer)
- Streets are numbered from north to south only
- Streets and avenues are interchangeable terms
Correct answer: Streets run perpendicular to avenues and extend from north to south
In most U.S. city grids, 'streets' run east-west and 'avenues' run north-south, though this varies by city. Knowing your city's layout is essential.
City grid conventions vary, but in many U.S. cities (like New York City), streets run east-west and avenues run north-south. Understanding your city's specific grid — including numbered vs. named streets, compass quadrants (NW/NE/SW/SE), and major arterial roads — is fundamental for dispatcher geographic orientation.
Question 6: A unit radios that they are traveling westbound on Commerce Ave and need to know how many blocks to Central Park. Central Park is at Commerce Ave and 3rd Street, and the unit is at Commerce Ave and 9th Street. How many blocks away is the park?
- 3 blocks
- 6 blocks (Correct answer)
- 9 blocks
- 12 blocks
Correct answer: 6 blocks
From 9th Street to 3rd Street is 6 blocks (9-8-7-6-5-4-3). The unit is 6 blocks from Central Park.
Block counting is a basic but critical dispatch arithmetic skill. From 9th Street to 3rd Street: 9→8 (1), 8→7 (2), 7→6 (3), 6→5 (4), 5→4 (5), 4→3 (6) = 6 blocks. Dispatchers must be able to quickly calculate distances between intersections to provide accurate navigation guidance to field units.
CritiCall Dispatcher Test Dispatcher Map Reading and Directions 2
An officer is at Main St. and 5th Ave heading north.
A suspect flees east on 6th Ave.
What direction should a second unit travel on 4th Ave to intercept?