Police Public Safety Dispatcher/First Responder

Salary: $48,630.40 – $87,588.80 Annually

Position Summary:

An employee in this job class is responsible for performing work of marked difficulty processing emergency and non-emergency calls received via radio and telephone. Work is performed under general supervision of a supervisory staff that includes commissioned and professional staff personnel. Work involves the dispatching of police units for the St. Louis County Police Department, and its municipal contracted agencies, by radio in response to requests for service according to predetermined priorities, providing confidential criminal history data through a computer system, maintaining status and location of mobile units through multiple mapping systems, answering and routing telephone calls of high and low priority nature, and responding to inquiries and complaints on non-emergency telephone lines. Work is reviewed for timeliness of response, appropriateness of response and adherence to established procedures and priorities. This position is subject to mandatory overtime being required during periods of inclement weather, or critical incidents of a significant nature, to ensure public safety.

Essential Functions:

• Dispatches police mobile units by radio in response to requests for services according to established priorities and procedures.
• Dispatches emergency and lifesaving equipment as needed throughout St. Louis County.
• Operates an 800 MHZ radio system to maintain constant contact with officers on a main radio channel, utilizing a headset worn over the head.
• Operation of Motorola radio consolette.
• Monitors a variety of radio channels through multiple speakers to maintain contact with local and statewide agencies for police or fire/ambulance dispatch while maintaining operation of main radio channel.
• Provides radio service to all mobile units.
• Monitors, and operates as needed, radio system IO channels.
• Provides criminal history information, vehicle information and driver’s license information.
• Utilizes approved crime networking software to locate information needed to send police, assist police or track calls for service as requested.
• Maintains location and status of all mobile units with computer aided dispatch terminals and multiple mapping systems.
• Operates emergency siren warning system to notify schools, hospitals and other public places of emergency weather information.
• Operation of telephone computer software, without a traditional desktop phone, utilizing a headset worn over the head.
• Answers emergency telephone lines and obtains detailed information necessary to dispatch proper emergency assistance.
• Answers non-emergency telephone lines and responds to inquiries from citizens and agencies as well as members of the Department.
• Determines location of emergency calls and uses the Emergency Callworks Program to route calls to the proper agency as needed.
• Investigates the details of criminal incidents being reported through interview at the point of initial contact for all crimes reported by phone.
• Performs related work as required.

Requirements:

• Graduation from high school or equivalent (GED)
• Understanding of dispatcher training being completed during performance of duties, in a live capacity, on a schedule determined by the training guidelines for the position. Performance tests are given during the initial and secondary stage of training.
• Required continuing education to include, but not limited to a 16 hour Telecommunicator Course, monthly Police Legal Sciences training, MULES training to obtain MULES certification, on-shift procedural review or bureau wide training as needed, and a bi-annual training course at the police academy.
• Required REJIS certification to be obtained during initial phase of training with a mandatory recertification requirement every three years.
• Citizen of the United States or valid work permit, and apply for citizenship when eligible.
• Eighteen (18) years of age at the time of appointment.
• Educational requirements and skills will be determined by the position classification.