Police Dispatcher I - Concord, United States - City of Concord (CA)

Description

Job Characteristics

• OPEN & PROMOTIONAL JOB OPPORTUNITYPOLICE DISPATCHER I

The City of Concord's Police Department is currently seeking customer-service oriented individuals who enjoy working in a highly productive yet fast-paced environment to serve as their next Police Dispatcher.

This position is open until filled and may close at any time.


The Police Department:

The members of the Concord Police Department are dedicated to providing the highest quality police services in order to enhance community safety, protect life and property, and reduce crime and the fear of crime.

To do this, we pledge to develop a partnership with the community, lead a community commitment to resolve problems, and improve the safety and quality of life in our city.

What you will be doing in this role:

Dispatchers are an integral part of the Police Department by acting as a critical link between the community and police units in the field.

They help maintain the safety of our community by taking command of situations in a sensitive and straightforward manner while also showing consideration and respect to others.

They receive emergency and non-emergency calls and act as the liaison between the community, other agencies, department personnel, and field units.

We are looking for someone who:

• Can assess situations accurately, make quick decisions, and use sound judgement
• Has excellent oral and written communication skills
• Is naturally compassionate and comfortable speaking to individuals who are emotional or stressed
• Can multi-task and quickly prioritize needs
• Can work in a collaborative team environment and take instruction well
• Stay composed and control their own emotions
• Has the technological skills to operate multiple computers, programs, radios and recording equipment
• Has excellent attention to detail and organization skills
• Is familiar with or can quickly learn the city of Concord and can read maps to find routes, locations, and addresses
• Is flexible and can adapt to any situation
• Embraces and embodies the City's Mission, Vision and Values.

What we offer:

The City of Concord offers the opportunity to take part in a collaborative and exciting work experience, where you can grow in your career while working alongside the community to make Concord a city of the highest quality.

The City is an employer that invests in its employees' professional and personal development, values work-life balance, is dedicated to employee wellness and provides numerous benefit and retirement options, to include the following:

* $2.00/hour shift differential for night shift and $2.50/hour for grave shift
* $120/month bilingual pay for qualifying languages

• Participation in CalPERS pension, tiered based on date of hire
• A variety of health care plans or a cash-in-lieu benefit of $200 if waiving coverage
• City-paid dental insurance; employee-paid vision insurance
• Vacation accruals starting at 10 days per year, 12 days sick leave per year, and 11 paid holidays per year
• Generous tuition reimbursement program
• 457 deferred compensation plan
• Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for healthcare, dependent care and commuting costs
• Life and disability insurance
• A wellness program that offers yoga and fitness classes, annual health expos, health and nutrition education, as well as a variety of mental health resources
• Salary is negotiable within the advertised range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found at

SELECTION PROCESS

• Submit a completed City of Concord employment application and the required supplemental question responses online at Only application materials submitted online will be accepted.
• All qualified applications and supplemental responses will be competitively evaluated, and the most qualified candidates will be invited to an online examination which will include a Criticall 911 Dispatcher Test and typing test.

The online examination tests your ability to:

• Follow rules and directions.
• Make decisions quickly and accurately based on rules you are provided.
• Enter data or information (such as names, telephone numbers, license plate sequences, etc.) into a computer using a keyboard.
• Hear, comprehend, summarize, and/or answer questions about information provided verbally in short story form.
• Use written information provided on lists (such as an alphabetically sequenced telephone book).
• Recognize if bits of information, such as addresses or names, are similar or different.
• Quickly learn and later recognize information that is shown in writing, such as descriptions (e.g., red car, blue boat, green shirt).
• Perform basic arithmetic (such as addition, subtraction, percentages) without a calculator or other tools.
• Hear and remember pieces of information, such as telephone numbers or license plate numbers, for a short period of time.
• Evaluate information provided in order to prioritize or categorize incidents.
• Evaluate information and identify the most correct solution based upon that information.
• Determine routes and/or locations using very basic maps. (No prior map-reading training or experience is required to correctly respond to these questions.)
• Correctly spell commonly used words which sound alike that might delay emergency assistance if misspelled (e.g., patience instead of patients).
• Communicate using sentences or phrases that clearly express the intended meaning.
• Read and comprehend written passages.
• Successful candidates will be placed on the hiring list and referred to the department for further consideration to fill the current regular vacancy, as well as others occurring over the next 12 months. Additional examination steps may include a dispatcher orientation, panel interview, sit along, polygraph, and thorough background check.

Background Investigation:

All appointments to this position are subject to a fingerprint check, polygraph and background investigation coordinated by the Concord Police Department.

The following list describes some areas that are covered in the investigation.

• Your relatives, references, and acquaintances are asked to comment on your suitability for a career in law enforcement.
• The information supplied regarding your educational history is examined and verified.
• You must list a history of your residences.
• Your work history and experience are examined with regard to your dependability, relationships with fellow workers, trustworthiness, and general job performance.
• Military service records are subject to verification.
• The background investigation considers your management of personal finances (however, being in debt does not automatically disqualify you).
• Your criminal, driving, and insurance records are evaluated. Felony convictions will be grounds for disqualification from the selection process.
• If you have a history of recent or prolonged use of illegal controlled substances (i.e., Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Marijuana, etc.), you may be dismissed from the process.

Deliberate misstatements or omissions can and often will result in your application being rejected, regardless of the nature or reason for the misstatements/omissions.

In fact, the number one reason individuals fail and/or are disqualified during the background investigation is because they deliberately withhold or misrepresent job-relevant information.

Applicants must be truthful in all phases of the process and promptly submit documentation when requested.


Helpful tips when applying:

• It is important to carefully read the complete job bulletin before submitting your application so you are aware of all requirements of both the position and the process.
• When preparing your application, consider reviewing the job announcement and classification specification so that you may emphasize work experience relevant to the position for which you are applying.
• Job duties should be an accurate reflection of the work you completed. Copying and pasting from your job description is not recommended as there may be duties listed that you did not perform.
• Answer all required supplemental questions completely and honestly. The information you put in the supplemental questionnaire must also be verified in your work history so if you say you have certain experience in the questionnaire, make sure we can see it listed in your job history as well so we know where you performed those functions and for how long.

Examples of duties include, but are not limited to

• Under close observation, receives, interprets, classifies, prioritizes and responds to call of a routine and emergency nature, including those calls involving life-threatening situations. Enters relevant information by computer keyboard and, as appropriate, transmits message for dispatching.
• Under close observation assigns calls to police units for necessary action, determining how many and which units are required for response. May coordinate with patrol supervisors regarding deployment of personnel. Visually monitors video display terminals and aurally monitors police radio frequencies to ensure correct status of officers and pending and dispatched calls, making "on-line changes" via keyboard as appropriate. Calls out Public Works standby personnel, performs call outs for various local government entities, and monitors local government radio for their status.
• Determines appropriate communications or research channels selecting from emergency telephone lines, radio room telephone lines, business telephone lines, police radio channels, other agency radio channels, and manual computerized information systems.
• Under close observation, provides information to officers expeditiously, in areas such as warrants, vehicles, driver's licenses, parole, and criminal history information. Interprets or clarifies coded responses from various systems for police officers or other parties. Confirms warrants with responsible agencies, receives warrants and updates status of warrants.
• As acquired skills develop, accesses and updates information in a variety of on-line Law Enforcement data systems, including systems which contain confidential data.
• Develops, confirms, and relays information by contacting persons such as those in the internal chain of command; relatives of those involved in incidents; employers; hospitals; sworn and non-sworn public safety personnel at other agencies; other City departments; ambulance services; detoxification centers; tow companies; attorneys; state parole; animal control; commercial establishments; alarm companies; and schools.
• Monitors other public safety and emergency preparedness radio traffic; fire panel and security system boards; local government radio channels; and jail and complaint desk alarms, and takes appropriate actions.
• Maintains various logs and records of activities, such as radio transmissions, telephone calls received, call-outs and tow requests, equipment failure log, and personal time keeping and attendance.
• Follows defined alternative procedures in the event of computer or other equipment malfunction such as performing shut down and start up procedures. Performs various tasks to ensure proper operation of equipment such as setting and resetting computer system, video display terminals, mobile data terminals and printers; and changing print ribbons, paper, and recording tapes.
• Performs activities related to the operation of a county-wide law enforcement radio system (CLERS) such as monitoring radio channel and issuing all points bulletins following county protocol and procedures.
• Promotes the City's Mission to make Concord a city of the highest quality by providing responsive, cost-effective, and innovative government services; understands and subscribes to the Vision and Values Statement adopted by the City.
• Performs other work as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge and Abilities

Basic knowledge of the use of data processing equipment for data entry systems.

Ability to read, comprehend, and retain relevant sections of various California codes such as the Penal, Health and Safety, Municipal, Welfare and Institutions, and Vehicle codes; interdepartmental regulations, policies and procedures; various hardware and software documentation; Federal Communications Commission Regulations.

Ability to learn and make effective use of the resources, equipment, methods, procedures, and nomenclature included in and associated with computer-aided dispatch and automated information systems and other aspects of the work; to learn the geographic layout of the City, including location of streets, street names, freeways, shopping centers, industrial parks, hotels, and other landmarks.

Ability to remain calm in situations of stress; to assess events quickly and accurately; to adapt communications and behavioral styles appropriately in response to individuals and situations; to obtain and accurately record required information; to effectively classify and prioritize service requests; to act promptly and decisively; to make acceptable decisions; to quickly search and find information from resource systems, manuals, maps and other documents and to accurately and concisely convey such information orally and in writing; to spell accurately and use correct grammar; to speak clearly, concisely and audibly; to perform multiple tasks simultaneously; to meet the physical requirements of the work; to understand and carry out oral and written instructions; and to establish and maintain cooperative and effective relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education:
Satisfactory completion of high school or the equivalent.

Experience:

Two years of related work experience that has provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of a law enforcement dispatcher in a computer-assisted environment.

Other

• Ability to operate an alpha-numeric keyboard with sufficient speed and accuracy to provide efficient input into a computer terminal, measured by the ability to type at a rate of 35 words per minute (net) is required.
• Must have normal (or correctable to normal) hearing and eyesight and a clear and audible voice for radio and telephone communications.
• Must successfully pass the dispatcher testing administered by the City in accordance with POST Standard Section 1018(c).
• Must successfully complete a background investigation as a condition of employment.
• A California Driver's License and a satisfactory driving record are conditions of initial and continued employment.