Job Details

Sheriff's Communications Dispatcher

The Sheriff's Office seeks experienced, emergency law enforcement dispatchers! Full-time and extra-help opportunities are available. Starting salary up to $52.00/hour ($108,530/year), not including any premiums or differentials, and a competitive total compensation package (applicable for full- and part-time positions)!

Note: The Sheriff's Office is currently recruiting for Sheriff's Communications Dispatcher I and II positions. If you would like to begin a career as a law enforcement Communications Dispatcher and need to gain experience, please apply to the separate, concurrent Sheriff's Communications Dispatcher I recruitment.

Current premiums and differentials offered to Sheriff's Communications Dispatcher IIs may include but are not limited to:

• POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) Intermediate Certificate 3.5%
• POST Advanced Certificate 6.75%
• Communications Training Officer 5%
• Shift differentials for swing and grave hours range from 5% to 10%
• Certified bilingual basic $1.15/hr and fluent $1.50/hr

In the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, Communications Dispatcher IIs support both the public and law enforcement by receiving requests for information and providing pertinent data over the phone and radio. Responsibilities include:

• Monitoring radio frequencies
• Receiving and dispatching emergency and non-emergency calls from the public
• Setting priorities among competing incoming events and dispatching appropriately
• Utilizing a computer-aided dispatch system

Supporting public safety during emergencies is a rewarding career for individuals who thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy solving problems under pressure, and excel at using advanced communication systems. While the work is challenging, dispatchers play a vital role in helping protect the community. Those with the dedication, resilience, and passion for public service are rewarded with the opportunity to make a difference when people need help most, while becoming part of the strong teamwork and camaraderie that define the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

Whether you're driven by a desire to serve your community, grow professionally, or take on new challenges, a career as a dispatcher with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office offers meaningful work and opportunities for advancement. As a dispatcher, you'll coordinate emergency and non-emergency communications for ground, marine, and air units in a dynamic environment where every shift presents new experiences. As your career progresses, you'll have opportunities to develop specialized skills and pursue unique assignments. As two examples, Tactical Dispatchers work alongside deputies in the field during specialized tactical operations or may provide communications support for law enforcement services at major events including Sonoma Raceway.

Beyond serving the Sheriff's Office, our Communications Center provides dispatch services for the Sonoma and Windsor Police Departments, Sonoma County Regional Parks, and Sonoma County Probation. This diverse range of responsibilities provides valuable experience and the opportunity to support multiple public safety agencies throughout Sonoma County. If you're looking for a career that is challenging, meaningful, and offers continuous opportunities to learn and grow, consider joining the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office as a Dispatcher. You'll receive the training, resources, and support needed to succeed while making a lasting impact on the community you serve.

Those that dispatch for public safety know in our 24/7 environment, Dispatchers must have the flexibility to work all shifts, including days, holidays, weekends, swings, nights, and overtime as required.

This full working level in the Dispatcher job series is for individuals who have completed a year of law enforcement emergency dispatch experience with a city, county, state, or federal agency. Possession of a California Commission of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Public Safety Dispatcher's Certificate is highly desired.

Please note that skills and abilities testing will be conducted by the Sheriff's Office for applicants selected for an interview using CritiCall. This is not a P.O.S.T. test. A T-Score or pass/fail letter will not be provided by the County of Sonoma Human Resources or the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

Being a Dispatcher can be demanding, but for those who have the fortitude and passion for this work, you will be rewarded with camaraderie and the opportunity to help others during the times when they most need support. To learn more about this assignment and how we serve the community, please visit the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office website. In addition to compassion and empathy, the ideal candidates will possess many of the following:

• Significant experience working with the public and people in distress, as well as the ability to direct distressed callers through emergencies
• The ability to work swiftly, in stressful situations, to manage simultaneous situations
• Capacity to remain calm, clear, and in control
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills
• The ability to read maps and provide clear directions
• Proficiency in basic computer programs, including Microsoft Office applications (Word and Excel)
• The ability to type quickly and accurately

Extra-help employment employees relieve or augment permanent staff. Intermittent, extra-help employees are not in the classified civil service and do not have property rights to permanently allocated positions. In addition, they do not receive most regular employee benefits such as long-term disability insurance coverage, accrual of vacation, participation in the County retirement program, or eligibility to take promotional examinations. Intermittent, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of 1,380 hours within any twelve-month consecutive period. Extra-help employees who meet the eligibility requirements may qualify for a County contribution toward medical coverage.

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, and 12 paid holidays per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Staff Development/Wellness - Annual benefit allowances of up $850, and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association Memorandum Of Understanding (SCLEA MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

The Sheriff's Office is currently recruiting to fill multiple Sheriff's Communications Dispatcher positions at both the I and II levels. This Sheriff's Communications Dispatcher II employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title of the position is Communications Dispatcher II.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Education and Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience which would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities. Normally, this would include graduation from high school or possession of a G.E.D, and one year of dispatch experience in a law enforcement setting comparable to Communications Dispatcher I.

Special requirement: Within one year of employment, and as a condition of probation, employees in this classification must obtain a P.O.S.T. Public Safety Dispatcher's Certificate, as awarded by the State of California, Commission on Police Officers Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.).

Special skill requirement: This classification requires the ability to type at a corrected speed of 45 words per minute.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the