Communications Officer - Sheriff

Denton County (TX)•Denton, TX

55d

About The Position

The Communications Officer performs specialized radio and Communications work. This is a high-stress job that requires focus, engagement, and high performance in traumatic, emotionally charged, and life-threatening situations. Personnel in this position are directly responsible for adequately deploying and monitoring the status and locations of all on-duty Police/Fire/EMS units. These individuals must use approved system status management techniques, ensuring efficient and appropriate use of those resources. This position receives incoming non-emergency and emergency calls, prioritizes calls received, and relays information to appropriate field personnel via the available communications system. Due to this position being time-driven, applicants must possess the innate ability to perform several tasks simultaneously while maintaining a high level of accuracy.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED required.
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) license within one year of their appointment (Tex. Occ. Code § 1701.301; 37 Tex. Admin. Code § 217.27) required.
TCOLE approved Basic Telecommunicator course, Crisis Communications course,TDD/TTY for Telecommunicators and a TCOLE approved Field Training Course required within one year of assignment(Tex. Occ. Code § 1701.405; Tex. Occ. Code § 1701.352).
Must be 18 years of age.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Possession of a valid driver's license. Must be able to obtain a State of Texas driver's license within 90 days.

Responsibilities

Operates emergency and non-emergency communication systems; receives requests for service by telephone; obtains and relays necessary information efficiently and accurately; gives callers direction and instruction as necessary.
Operates numerous highly technical computer systems including the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD); enters and retrieves information to and from various databases including TCIC/NCIC, Denton County computer systems, and a variety of local, regional, and state emergency response databases.
Monitors state and national messages, requests, and transactions through TLETS/NLETS while ensuring compliance with Federal and State laws and department policies and procedures.
Processes, forwards, and maintains records of information obtained or entered; maintains appropriate logs of services requested.
Operates radio console consisting of numerous talk groups.
Dispatches, monitors, and tracks multiple law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies.
Ensures radio operations are conducted in accordance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) procedures and requirements.
Monitor all radio traffic while simultaneously listening in the room for pre-alerts to incoming calls, pre-alerting units, and promptly putting units on scene to maintain system compliance.
Ensure timely and accurate dispatching of units, utilizing appropriate system status management, CAD, Radio, and other tools.
Regular and punctual attendance is required.
Performs other related duties as required.