911 Dispatcher Praised for Ending 6-Hour Standoff With Suicidal Man

Kayla Riler, of the California Highway Patrol’s Stockton Communications Center, has been commended for helping to peacefully end a six-hour standoff. CHP – Stockton

A 911 dispatcher in Stockton, California, has been commended on Nov. 28 for helping to calm a suicidal man during a six-hour standoff.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) Stockton Communications Center received a call from the Jackson Rancheria RV Park along Dalton Road on Nov. 27.

Officials said the call came in around 3:00 p.m. from a man who was alone inside his camper trailer. While on the call, the man started making threats against himself and his neighbors, reported CBS13.

Dispatcher Kayla Riler spoke with the caller, who said “he was heavily armed and would kill himself and anyone who came to his door,” CHP said in a Facebook post.

As Riler talked with him, the Amador County Sheriff’s Department responded to the call and tried to make contact with the man who was reportedly a week-long guest at the RV park.

As Riler had already gained the man’s trust, he refused to speak with anyone else.

Meanwhile, officers evacuated about 30 people from the park, blocked off the area, and a SWAT team was called in.

With the support of other dispatchers and members of local crisis negotiation teams, Riler spoke with the distraught man for six hours.

“He had some health issues, he was claiming, and he had been drinking. He made some threats to load up his guns and start shooting, and so that’s what triggered our response. We’ve been up here ever since with pretty much everything we had and all the people we could muster,” Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan told CBS13 of the standoff.

Finally just before 9 p.m., Riler convinced the man to exit his RV and surrender himself to the deputies waiting outside.

At one point, the deputies said they were forced to shoot rubber bullets when the man did not comply with commands. However, no one was injured.

“Very proud of our dispatcher!” wrote the CHP. “Special thanks to all of our law enforcement partners that worked flawlessly together during this successful incident!”

The man is now in police custody and is identified as 58-year-old Frank Russell Davenport from La Mesa, reported Fox40.

Police found a shotgun and two handguns in the man’s fifth wheel RV. All three guns were loaded. He was accused of making terrorist threats and resisting arrest.

“I chose this profession because I wanted to help people and save lives; tonight was a good night, I got to do both!” Riler said to the CHP after the incident.

“Due to PSD Riler’s superior efforts and the teamwork of the dispatch center along with multiple Law Enforcement Agencies, this incident concluded favorably,” the CHP said.

“Unfortunately that is not always the case. If you, or someone you know, is in need of support or intervention please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, to speak with a trained professional. If your situation is potentially life-threatening, call 9-1-1 or go to a hospital emergency room.”