WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Two West Bloomfield Police Department dispatchers are speaking out about the moments following the attack at Temple Israel, describing the experience of coordinating a massive law enforcement response while fielding a flood of emergency calls.
Jennifer Curran, dispatch manager, and Jennifer Schuler, dispatch leader, are among a team of five dispatchers who received 22 calls in the first six minutes after a man slammed a vehicle full of explosives through the building.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below:
Despite having more than 20 years of experience each, both say they had never encountered a crisis like this one.
"The first few moments were kind of genuine disbelief. We couldn't believe that's what we were hearing," Curran said.
Schuler said her training helped her push through the shock.
"I knew I had to be there for my officers, be there for my teammates and just do what I was trained to do," Schuler said.
Schuler was responsible for relaying real-time updates to officers as information came in from callers.
"Immediately when my partners yelled out 'shots fired' at the location, I aired that to my partners, and everybody went," Schuler said.
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At the same time, Curran was fielding calls from teachers, security guards and neighbors — gathering critical information while also offering calm and reassurance.
"We have to gauge in a moment's notice do they have information that's helpful, do they have something new that we don't already know," Curran said.
Related video: First officers to arrive at Temple Israel attack speak out about what they saw inside
One of those callers was Dustin Shaw, who works at the temple.
"I was setting up for an event and all the sudden, I heard this huge crash. And so me and my coworkers walk over and someone screams over 'call 911,'" Shaw said.
Watch our report with Dustin Shaw below:
The dispatchers were also credited with coordinating the large-scale police response that followed.
"There were 605 officers in, I believe. I was told 43 jurisdictions. It gives you a sense of pride knowing that our family in law enforcement cares that much about each other," Schuler said.
In the days since the attack, parents and children have stopped by the department with thank-you notes, food and treats — a show of community support that has continued to pour in.
"It was such a team effort. This group worked together so well to make sure everyone was on top of it, and they were really a big part of why this was able to go the way it did," Curran said.
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