Police Telecommunicator I

City of Hendersonville•Hendersonville, NC

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for performing specialized telecommunications work in receiving and processing emergency and non-emergency calls for the police department. An employee in this class is responsible for receiving service calls from the public, prioritizing calls, dispatching appropriate public safety officials, and maintaining open lines of communication during emergency situations. Emphasis of the work is on taking emergency calls from citizens or businesses, data entry into emergency computer aided dispatch consoles, providing information and referral to the public, and communicating with police officials during emergencies. The employee must have the ability to multi-task and make decisions under stress. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Communications Supervisor and is evaluated based on call handling according to defined protocols, personal observation, review of tapes, and feedback from public safety personnel and the public.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED Equivalent
Possession of a Valid Class C Driver’s License to operate a motor vehicle.
General Telecommunicators Certificate as awarded by the North Carolina Sheriffs Education and Training Standards Commission, or ability to obtain in one year
CJleads certification, or ability to obtain in one year
NC DCI 1-3 Certification, or ability to obtain in one year
eWarrants and CJLEADS training, or ability to obtain in one year
100 hours of law enforcement/telecommunicator continuing education
Experience in a dispatch function or extensive public contact role, and in law enforcement or EMS; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ability to multi-task and make decisions under stress.
Ability to operate a computer terminal, telephones, radios, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) console; ability to sit for long periods of time in low light with multiple computer screens.
Ability to enter information on a call while talking to a citizen, or police providing service.
Ability understand or comprehend calls made with different accents or broken English.
Ability to read maps quickly, scan warrant files, and review recorded tapes.
Ability to calmly communicate with people in emergency and stressful situations and document actions taken.
Pass a pre-employment drug screen, a background check and a State Bureau of Investigations background check prior to beginning their employment.

Nice To Haves

Ability to type at least 35 words per minute.
Knowledge of city geography and street locations.

Responsibilities

Receives emergency and non-emergency calls from the public; evaluates requests for service; prioritizes the call according to protocol; and dispatches police officers.
Receives after-hours calls for utilities, street maintenance, and traffic signal malfunctions.
Operates a two-way radio system to dispatch law enforcement officers to emergencies; communicates with and relays all appropriate information to responders as situations unfold; and sends additional units to situation based on officer’s requests or updated information.
Monitors self-initiated activities of police officers and provides them with information on retained suspects.
Maintains records of authorizations, warrants, and other information required for DCI/NCIC entries; logs all activities.
Uses eWarrants Program to check for outstanding warrants; and communicates results to officers in the field.
Closes telecommunications calls for service and identifies police units back in service.
Updates criminal history logs.
Collects data from the previous day and creates a morning report that is sent out to news media and police administration.
Stays up to date on call disposition codes, ten-codes, department policy, procedures, and general orders.
Performs other related job duties as assigned.