Owners, Renters, and Squatters in 9-1-1

By Special Guest Writer

Jeremy Sparks

Emergency Communications Supervisor, Howard County Police Department

I got my first apartment at 19. It was a terrace-level two-bedroom, which, if we’re honest, is just the fancy term for the basement. At the time, I felt like a real adult. I had freedom. I had solitude. Most importantly, whenever something broke, I simply called someone else because it was not my problem. I didn’t worry about the leaky faucet, the cracked window, or the broken heat pump. It wasn’t until I bought my first house that I truly learned the difference between renting and ownership. Suddenly, the repairs, maintenance, and upkeep were on me, but so were the benefits. I could paint the walls whatever color I wanted. I could change the flooring. I could plant whatever flowers I wanted. It was mine. I owned it. I realized that ownership is not just about having a key; it is about taking responsibility for everything that comes with it. That sense of control and investment brought pride, accountability, and purpose, a feeling that renting never quite provided.

In 9-1-1, we also have Owners and Renters. Oh—and we also have Squatters. Walk into any 9-1-1 center in the country and you will see the same thing: dedicated professionals answering the phone when someone’s world is falling apart. Technology may differ. Policies may vary. The patch on the shirt might change. But the people dynamics? Those are remarkably consistent. In my experience working in and around public-safety communications, every center, no matter how high-performing, is made up of these same three types of contributors. If we want stronger centers, healthier cultures, and better outcomes for the communities we serve, we have to understand the difference. More importantly, we must be intentional about which behaviors we grow. Culture in a 9-1-1 center is not a motivational poster on the wall. It is built call by call, shift by shift, supervisor by supervisor.

The Owners

Owners are the heartbeat of high-performing centers. Yes, they answer calls, dispatch units, and follow protocol, but they go further. Owners own outcomes. They understand that their role is bigger than the headset in front of them, and they take responsibility not just for what they do, but for how it affects the entire operation. You can usually spot Owners quickly. They apply for training opportunities beyond what is required. They volunteer for committees or special initiatives. They step in to help overwhelmed teammates. They speak up professionally when something is not right and consistently look for ways to improve processes. Most importantly, they treat every caller like it might be the worst day of that person’s life, because it probably is.

When something goes wrong, Owners lean in instead of pointing out. They do not start with, “That wasn’t my call,” “Nobody told me,” or the famous, “That’s not my job.” Instead, you hear, “How can we fix this?” “What can we learn?” and “What do you need from me?” Owners are intentional about the mark they leave behind. Just as importantly, they create lift around them. Their presence steadies a chaotic room. New hires gravitate toward them. Supervisors trust them. Peers rely on them, not because they are perfect, but because they are invested.

The Renters

Let’s be clear, Renters are not bad employees. In fact, many centers rely heavily on them. Renters show up on time, handle their assigned calls, complete required tasks, follow the rules, and go home at the end of shift. From a basic performance standpoint, they are dependable, predictable, and steady. But there is a ceiling. Renters work to the line, but rarely beyond it. They occupy the console but do not necessarily invest in the center. You typically will not see Renters volunteering to mentor new hires, offering process improvements, taking initiative during high-stress moments, or engaging deeply in culture-building efforts. They do what is required, and often do it well, but their mindset is transactional: they did their job. Like renting an apartment, they do just enough to get their security deposit back. Sometimes, especially in understaffed environments, that can feel good enough. When the board is full and the phones are stacked, simply getting through the shift can feel like a win.

But here is the leadership reality we must face: centers that are mostly Renters tend to plateau. They function. They survive. They rarely transform. Transformation requires people who think beyond their individual workload and see themselves as part of something larger than their console. Many Renters are not disengaged, they are comfortable. And comfort, left unchallenged, quietly becomes the cultural ceiling. They often perform at a level that maintains stability, but stability alone is not enough in a high-reliability, high-stakes environment like 9-1-1.

The Squatters

Then there are the Squatters. If you are not familiar with the term, a Squatter is someone who occupies space but avoids the responsibility that comes with it. Someone who moves into a vacant home and claims it as their own without investing in or caring for it. Every center has encountered them, some more than others. Squatters do not just disengage; they actively erode the environment around them. Their behaviors often include chronic negativity, resistance to change, minimal effort paired with maximum complaints, undermining supervisors or trainers, creating extra work for others, and spreading “this place is terrible” energy to newer staff.

If Owners are force multipliers for good, Squatters are force multipliers for dysfunction. Negativity spreads faster in high-stress workplaces, and communication centers are pressure cookers filled with constant cognitive load, emotional whiplash from call to call, staffing shortages, mandatory overtime, and high stakes with little margin for error. In that environment, one unchecked Squatter can quietly infect an entire shift’s morale. Left unaddressed, Squatter behavior becomes normalized, and once normalization sets in, culture begins to slide—slowly at first, then all at once.

Culture is shaped by what leaders model, reward, and allow. Whether you are a formal supervisor, a CTO, a senior dispatcher, or simply a respected voice on the floor, your behavior carries weight. Every day, intentionally or not, you are answering three questions for your team: What behavior are you modeling? What behavior are you rewarding? What behavior are you allowing? What you model becomes the standard. If leaders demonstrate Owner behavior, accountability, professionalism, curiosity, teamwork, that becomes the cultural baseline. If leaders cut corners, engage in negative talk, avoid difficult conversations, or show visible disengagement, the team notices immediately. In communications centers, credibility is currency. Teams are incredibly perceptive. They watch what leaders do far more than they listen to what leaders say.

Humans repeat what gets recognized. If the only time someone gets attention is when something goes wrong, you unintentionally train your employees to stay quiet and keep their heads down. But when leaders consistently recognize Owner behaviors, even small ones, something powerful happens. You begin to see more peer support, more initiative, more professional ownership, and a more positive tone under stress. Recognition does not have to be formal or complicated. Often the most powerful reinforcement is simple, timely, and specific: “I saw how you stayed calm with that caller, great work.” “You jumped in to help without being asked. That matters.” What gets praised gets repeated, every time.

Unchecked behavior becomes endorsed behavior. If chronic negativity is ignored, it spreads. If poor performance is tolerated, it becomes the new normal. If Squatter behavior faces no friction, it gains legitimacy. In high-reliability environments like 9-1-1 centers, silence from leadership is rarely interpreted as neutrality, it is interpreted as permission. This does not mean leaders must become punitive or heavy-handed, but it does mean leaders must be clear, consistent, and courageous in addressing behaviors that undermine the mission. What you allow today becomes tomorrow’s culture.

The goal is not perfection; the goal is movement. People are not permanently fixed in one category. Most of us, if we are being honest, have had moments in our careers where we have been Owners and moments where we have drifted into Renter mode. The objective is not to label people; it is to create movement toward ownership. Strong centers do this intentionally. They hire for mindset, not just skill. They train beyond minimum competency. They coach in real-time. They address negativity early. They promote those who model ownership. They create psychological safety for people to lean into. When the environment supports ownership, more people rise into it. When the environment tolerates squatting, more people slide into that instead. Culture follows gravity, and leaders set the direction of that gravity.

At the end of the day, every person in a communications center influences the environment around them, whether they intend to or not. So, if you are in any form of leadership—and in 9-1-1, leadership often extends far beyond rank, the real question is this: What behavior are you modeling? What behavior are you rewarding? What behavior are you allowing?

The good news is that ownership is contagious. When leaders model it, when teams recognize it, and when centers protect it, more people rise into it. And when that happens, everything improves. So, wherever you sit, console, training desk, supervisor chair, or leadership office, the invitation is simple: lean in, own outcomes, and build the culture you want to inherit. Because every shift still leaves a fingerprint. Let’s make it an Owner’s mark.

About the Author:

Jeremy Sparks is a 9-1-1 Supervisor with over 16 years of dispatch experience, including 12 years with Howard County, Maryland. He is chair of the Howard County Training Committee and serves on the Maryland State ECC Planning and Training Workgroup. Jeremy focuses on developing innovative training programs that enhance dispatcher performance, teamwork, and operational excellence. With over two decades in public-safety, including Fire/EMS and Emergency Management, and a background as a National Pro Board–certified instructor, he brings a practical, field-driven perspective to improving communication, collaboration, and professional growth within the 9-1-1 community.

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