Character Analysis
When you operate the phone at a police station, you get used to panicked callers. It's a job that requires nerves of steel.
That's why Kevin's mom—anxious to make sure her son is okay—doesn't really disconcert Rose, the police station's telephone operator. When she receives Kate's call, she transfers her to Larry Balzak, the officer in charge of "Family Crisis Intervention."
Rose warns him that Mrs. McCallister sounds pretty "hyper." Eventually, Balzak transfers her back to Rose, who says the police will send someone over. But the police officer who arrives doesn't believe that anyone is home.
What we're trying to say is: Rose is totally useless, and no help at all.