Communications Officer (Certified)

National Police; Dothan (AL); On-site; USD 45,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

National Police in Dothan, AL is seeking a Public Safety Dispatcher to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and to dispatch personnel. You will classify calls, provide EMS instructions, and coordinate with multiple agencies using CAD, radios, and mapping tools.

Required are a high school diploma, 19+ years old, 2 years dispatcher experience (or 1 year with City of Dothan), and APCO PST1 and CPR certifications with NCIC/ACJIC access. PSAP training in relevant systems preferred.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• At least 19 years of age.
• Two years of dispatcher experience or one year in the City of Dothan Communications Officer progression.
• APCO PST1 certification (40 hours) or state equivalent.
• CPR certification (AHA/Red Cross) current.
• NCIC/ACJIC certification or equivalent.
• APCO EMD certification (32 hours + 12 hours recertification) preferred.
• APCO CTO certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Receives and screens incoming calls from public and agencies; prioritizes 911 calls.
• Determines and dispatches appropriate emergency personnel to locations; provides pre-arrival instructions.
• Handles non-emergency calls; forwards to proper department; processes after-hours complaints.
• Accesses ACJIC/NCIC; handles history, warrants and incident data per regulations.
• Maintains contact with field units; relays location changes and information requests.
• Operates radios, telephones, CAD, mapping, and other dispatch equipment.
• Coordinates with other agencies as needed; supports multi-agency responses.
• Monitors security cameras and non-emergency radios as required.

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Two years dispatcher experience or 1 year with City of Dothan Communications Officer progression

Tools

ACJIC/NCIC access

Job description

Salary: $21.73 – $34.75 Hourly

Closing Date: 3/31/2027

Position Summary:

This position is responsible for answering emergency and non-emergency calls and for dispatching appropriate personnel.

Essential Functions:

• Receives and screens incoming calls from the public and other user agencies; categorizes and prioritizes calls, including 911 calls.

• Determines and dispatches the appropriate emergency personnel to incident locations; provides emergency medical instructions to callers prior to the arrival of responders as needed.

• Receives and processes non-emergency calls; forwards to appropriate department; receives and processes after-hours complaints from the public.

• Inquires, retrieves, and monitors data from ACJIC/NCIC database; ensures compliance with rules and regulations; retrieves information related to outstanding warrants, criminal histories, driver histories, vehicle histories, etc.; disseminates information related to criminal histories, driver histories, terrorist threats, felon registration, sex offender registration, lost or stolen items, missing persons, etc.

• Maintains contact with emergency personnel in the field; provides information to responding units regarding location, directions, changes to circumstances, etc.; responds to information requests from responding units.

• Provides pre-arrival instructions to callers in compliance with Emergency Medical Dispatch guidelines.

• Coordinates assistance from other agencies and/or departments as requested, including contacting other agencies for response to specific situations.

• Operates telecommunications equipment, including radios, telephones, CAD, mapping systems, telecommunications devices, weather monitoring equipment, etc.

• Monitors and utilizes non-emergency radios as needed.

• Monitors security cameras.

• Performs related duties.

Requirements:

• Graduation from a standard senior high school or GED equivalent, as recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) or Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); and

• Must be at least 19 years of age; and

• Two (2) years work experience as a Police, Fire, EMS and E911 dispatcher; or

• One (1) year current continuous experience as a Public Safety Calltaker with the City of Dothan in the Communications Officer progression; and

• Possession of current certification in Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Public Safety Telecommunicator I (PST1) course (40 hours initial course) or other state and/or agency equivalent certification; and

• Possession of current certification in American Heart Association Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Course or American Red Cross equivalent; and

• Possession of current certification in National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) certification or other state equivalent certification in the use of the Criminal Justice Information Center and the FBI National Crime Information Center systems.

• Possession of current certification in Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Course (32 hours initial course, 12 hours annual recertification) preferred.

• Possession of current certification in Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Communications Training Officer (CTO) Course (32 hours initial course, 12 hours annual recertification) preferred.

• Completion of Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) training in Southern Software Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) preferred.

• Completion of Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) training in Southern Software Records Management System (RMS) preferred.

• Completion of Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) training in Southern Software Mapping Data System (MDS) preferred.

• Completion of Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) training in Motorola Emergency Communications System ECS-1000, Solacom 9-1-1 Equipment preferred.

• Completion of Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) training in Public Safety Radio Training/Experience in actual radio transmission environment preferred.