Receives citizen and other incoming 9-1-1, emergency or non-emergency calls, analyzes nature of call depending on life and death status as circumstances are described by conversation, provides verbal emergency or non-emergency assistance or information and depending on situation priority directs or dispatches call information to appropriate City individuals/departments for immediate or follow-up action.
Under the supervision of the Dispatch Supervisor, this position receives incoming
9-1-1, emergency and non-emergency calls for service. The incumbent through the application of judgment (developed through education, training, and experience) and standard operating procedures, segregates calls by their emergency or non-emergency status. Those calls identified as “emergency” are designated priority and according to a prearranged procedure or at the discretion of the incumbent’s judgment, immediately communicated to the proper department/personnel (i.e., police, fire, animal control, EMS, etc.) for priority action. Calls categorized as “non-emergency” are processed/relayed as to prearranged procedures and communicated to the proper department/personnel for further action. Typical duties include:
Required Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Requires Telecommunications Operator certification (completion of the basic 40-hour state certification program for telecommunicator/dispatcher) issued by Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) within one year of hire.
Ability to elicit information from callers who are under considerable stress. Good typing skills, particularly with numbers, and prefer familiarity with computer and radio operations and communications equipment. Ability to work rotating shifts, weekends and holidays. Position requires applicants to pass a full background investigation and polygraph test.
Must never have been convicted, put on court-ordered community supervision, or probation for any criminal offense above the grade of Class B misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last ten years from the date of the court order.