Job Details

9-1-1 Dispatchers

The Santa Rosa Police Department is looking for experienced 9-1-1 dispatchers. Our 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center is located on the second floor of the Public Safety Building, equipped with a state-of-the-art computer aided dispatch system, including multiple monitors, ergonomically designed furniture, and individual work stations with outside window views. The Communications Center is staffed by a team of 23 dispatchers working 10-hour shifts, handling approximately 250,000 calls for service yearly. Supervision is provided by Communications Supervisors. In addition to a competitive salary, retirement through CalPERS, and a generous benefits package, this position offers opportunities for special assignments which include trainer, administrative and tactical dispatcher, with incentive pay from 2% - 7.5%. Hiring incentives include a vacation accrual rate that matches the applicant's total years of service as a Communications Dispatcher in California, a bank of 40 hours of sick leave at the time of hire, and a bank of 80 hours of vacation leave upon successful completion of the training program.

In addition to offering a challenging, rewarding work environment and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits, including health, dental, vision and life insurance, a generous retirement program, a competitive leave accrual package and holiday leave bank. Detailed information about available benefits can be found in the Unit 14 MOU and in the online Benefits Guide. Additional benefits include bilingual (English/Spanish) pay, $500 annually for wellness, unlimited free bus rides on CityBus and Sonoma County Transit, and the City is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) qualifying employer.

You are encouraged to talk with a Santa Rosa Police Department representative from the Recruiting Office for detailed information or questions.

The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.

In order to qualify for a lateral assignment applicants must complete a City application and Supplemental Questionnaire online and must meet the following minimum experience requirements: one year of full-time work as a 9-1-1 public safety law enforcement dispatcher with a law enforcement agency independently performing the full range of call-taking and radio dispatching duties within the last five years (excludes time in a Trainee status).

Disqualifying factors include having been unsuccessful in a previous background investigation process (including psychological assessment) with the Santa Rosa Police Department. If you have been unsuccessful in a previous background investigation process, your application will be screened on a case-by-case basis to determine if you will proceed further in the selection process.

The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

Essential duties include performing a variety of disparate duties simultaneously and accurately, receiving, triaging, and processing emergency and routine calls from the public requesting police or other emergency service, interrogating callers to determine pertinent information, accurately tracking the status and location of police units, using a Computer Aided Dispatch system to enter pertinent response information and unit status data, retrieving and verbally relaying information from various databases, monitoring several different police radio frequencies and operating a variety of communications equipment and technology, and communicating tactfully with the public and department employees under stressful situations.

Additional duties may include arranging for tow trucks and public works emergency service or contacting appropriate agencies, operating and maintaining the audio recording device and producing copies, performing a variety of record keeping, filing, and other general clerical work, monitoring surveillance cameras, arranging for unplanned staffing needs, monitoring and responding to internal panic alarms, manually activating exterior doors from the communications center, testing and inspecting equipment as required, providing general instruction to new employees, and traveling by vehicle to mandated training.

Required Qualifications

Knowledge of standard radio or telephone communications receiving and transmitting equipment, standard broadcasting procedures and rules, operation of common radio dispatch equipment, public safety classification codes, and basic provisions of the California vehicle and penal codes. Ability to speak and hear clearly and precisely on the telephone, on the radio, and in person; exercise good judgment and make sound decisions in emergency situations; effectively communicate with and elicit information from callers who are injured, terrified, under attack, angry, hostile, chemically impaired, and/or suffering from mental illness; listen to lengthy explanations and extract pertinent information for responders; multitask sufficiently to perform a variety of disparate tasks simultaneously and accurately; effectively work independently with a minimum of supervision; work as part of a team; understand the geographic features and streets of the City of Santa Rosa sufficiently to deploy field units efficiently; use a keyboard to enter data at a speed necessary for adequate job performance; understand and follow oral and written instructions; comprehend and make inferences from written material; spell with accuracy sufficient to convey message; operate a computer aided dispatch system, various computer software applications, and other office equipment quickly and accurately; provide general instructions and assistance to new dispatchers; type at least 35 wpm; and satisfactorily complete the Continuing Professional Training requirement set by P.O.S.T., California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Education equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade.

Additional Information

Selection process includes an application review, an oral appraisal interview, and a background investigation which includes a polygraph examination, a police records check, D.M.V. records review, P.O.S.T. Personal History Statement, S.R.P.D. Background Issues Questionnaire, employer reference checks, and Chief's interview and evaluation. All applicants successful in the background investigation screening and the Chief's interview will be required to take and pass a City-sponsored medical examination, including a psychological evaluation, following a conditional offer of employment and prior to appointment.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.

All notices will be sent via e-mail. Working conditions include being required to work various shifts as assigned, including nights, weekends, holidays, and rotating shifts. Incumbents operate a visual display terminal for extended periods of time, sometimes without the ability to move at will. Every job function requires real time keyboard entry of data, requiring continuous, repetitive arm and hand movement. Incumbents may also be required to move less than 20 pounds short distances when moving files, property, and supplies. Every job function requires the use of a variety of computers and communications equipment, which requires coordinating movement of more than one limb simultaneously and making fine, highly controlled muscular movements; the ability to hear and understand telephone conversations and radio traffic, and hear alarms and other auditory warning devices; and the ability to read and understand printed material and data displayed on multiple video display monitors.

The City does not discriminate on the basis of disability in employment. Requests for reasonable accommodations needed to participate in the recruitment process may be made by submitting a Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form within five (5) business days of being noticed that an event requiring accommodation is occurring. You may also contact the Human Resources Department at (707) ###-#### or ...@srcity.org.