Emergency Dispatcher

Maricopa County; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 41,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plans

Arizona State Retirement System

Paid time off

Job summary

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is seeking an Emergency Dispatcher to provide critical dispatch services, receiving and prioritizing calls for service, and maintaining radio contact with responders to ensure safe, efficient responses.

Responsibilities include operating CAD/GIS, handling multiple telephone lines, and coordinating with law enforcement, fire, and EMS per applicable standards. Requires CJIS readiness and a background check.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or GED required.
• Two years of experience in public contact or customer service.
• Background check and CJIS readiness are required.

Responsibilities

• Operates multiple systems and handles calls with high accuracy.
• Dispatches calls using CAD/GIS and radio systems to field units.
• Identifies incident details and resources, and maintains logs and databases.
• Communicates with agencies and maintains situational awareness.

Skills

Customer service

Public safety communication

Education

High School diploma or GED

Job description

About The Position

Are you committed to serving your community?

Posting Date

08/27/26

Application Deadline

08/31/26

Pay Range

Min - Mid - Max
$30.00 - $36.75 - $43.50
New Sign-On Incentive of $1,500

Job Type

Unclassified

Department

Sheriff

About The Position

Are you committed to serving your community?

The Emergency Dispatcher serves as a vital link between the public’s requests for assistance and emergency services response. This position provides dispatch services by receiving, analyzing, prioritizing, and processing calls for service (e.g., incidents) while maintaining radio contact with responders to ensure safe, efficient, and effective responses. The Dispatcher responds to requests for law enforcement, fire, and/or emergency medical services (EMS) in accordance with local, state, tribal, or national standards.

About The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

Do you possess integrity, strong interpersonal skills, and do you have a desire to serve your community? We are seeking passionate individuals to join our team with a variety of openings for Civilian, Detention and Sworn personnel. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) invites you to become part of Arizona's leading law enforcement agency where we come together as a team to support and provide public safety.

Position Qualifications

Education

• High School diploma or G.E.D.

Experience

• Two (2) years of experience in public contact or customer service.

OR

Combined Education And Experience Qualifications

• Other combinations of post-secondary education and experience may substitute for the minimum qualifications on a year-for-year basis.

Other Requirements

• Age 18 or older at the time of application.
• Ability to type a minimum of 35 words per minute required as demonstrated during the pre-employment testing process.
• Within six (6) months of employment or assignment, you must train for, functionally test on, and affirm the proficiency of terminal operations to assure compliance with Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) CJIS policy and regulations and retest every two (2) years.
• To be considered for employment with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, successful candidates must not have a revoked or suspended driver’s license.
• Training that may be provided on-the-job: FEMA NIMS – IS100, 700, and 800; Safety; Payroll; PREA.
• Prior to hiring, the Sheriff's Office requires that all candidates pass a background review.

Our Preferred Candidate Has

• Dispatch or Call-Taker experience.
• Experience operating a multi-line telephone system or radio communications equipment.
• Experience working with data entry.

Compensation Is More Than a Salary With MCSO

• Growth and stability since 1871
• Choice of three medical plans – starting as low as $70/month
• Holidays – 10/year + 1 personal day
• Enrollment in Arizona State Retirement System
• Paid sick and parental leaves (birth/adoption)
• 10% discount at KinderCare facilities in the Valley and upcoming MCKids Club to serve County employees and their families exclusively
• MCSO Mentoring program to provide personal and professional growth opportunities for all employees
• Access to free County gyms
• Learn more at Benefits Overview

Essential Job Tasks

(This is not an all-inclusive list of all job duties that may be required; employees will be required to perform other related duties as assigned.)

• Operates multiple systems and interacts in simultaneous conversations using a high level of accuracy.
• Manages a sophisticated workstation comprised of multiple computer systems, Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) software and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), state and federal clearinghouses, call handling equipment, as well as communications systems such as radio dispatch consoles to dispatch calls for service to field units.
• Answers various telephone lines; ascertains incident information by obtaining and verifying caller information and location; determines the nature of the incident and all available data, including automated data, social media information, text message, images, or video; provides information to emergency services verbally and/or digitally.
• Maintains various logs and databases.
• Notifies key personnel of critical incidents; assesses and determines the need to contact other law enforcement and public safety agencies for additional information and resources, or to relay information regarding incidents and situational awareness.
• Uses available vehicular, bystander, and/or law enforcement information to identify the need for advanced resources or specialized equipment in order to assist with protecting the public at the scene and the on-scene responders.
• Relays initial information for dispatch accurately, reviews the call for service details and assumes incident command until first responders arrive.
• Documents thoroughly and accurately all incident activities while maintaining awareness of scene activities.
• Interprets and understands local and regional geography and identifies the correct location of the emergency quickly to improve response times of field responders.
• Confirms warrants, missing people, and stolen articles, weapons, and vehicles.
• Prioritizes multiple events based on available resources and apply critical thinking to tasks.
• Communicates with other agencies and emergency response personnel.
• Monitors deputies’ status via radio, automatic vehicle location data, and CAD messages.
• Runs information for deputies, and checks/verify license plates and other data.
• Advise field supervisors of pending traffic or emergency situations when patrol units are unavailable.
• Calls county attorneys and judges after hours for all Maricopa County agencies.
• Make outgoing telephone calls to ancillary services, such as tow truck operators, as requested by field units.
• Maintains good attendance to perform tasks as scheduled and assigned by the supervisor.

Working Conditions

Maricopa County is an EEO/ADA Reasonable Accommodation Employer.

The following environments described are only representative of how the essential job tasks are currently performed or envisioned. As such, in order to accommodate a disability or limitation, the essential job tasks may be performed in ways other than described on these pages.

Work occurs primarily indoors working in MCSO jail facilities with various staff and all classifications of inmates.

Work is performed primarily in an emergency communications center with limited mobility in a 24x7 operation. Tasks require sitting and/or standing for extended periods and work level can fluctuate from minimal to fast-paced and high volume with interruptions and time pressures. A team environment includes working collaboratively to solve problems and also involves decision-making with frequently limited direction. Responsibilities require concentration, accuracy, ethical conduct, and professional demeanor.

Work shifts require flexibility to work a rotating schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays to ensure 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (24/7/364) coverage. This position is designated as essential and must report to work during times when the government/agency is closed for holidays, weekends, inclement weather, and natural or man-made disasters.

Work environment

• Indoors
• Frequently in a confined area, high noise level
• Rarely outdoors or in temperatures above 90 degrees or below 40 degrees
• Conditions may rarely include stairs or ladders, dim lighting, bright lighting
• Conditions rarely include chemicals/fumes, smoke/dust, wet/damp, exposure to contagious diseases

Physical environment

• Sitting, standing walking
• Speaking, hearing, seeing, reading
• Distinguishing colors
• Bending/kneeling, reaching, twisting
• Crouching, balancing
• Precise dexterity
• Lifting floor to waist fifty (50) pounds
• Lifting waist to shoulder fifty (50) pounds
• Lifting shoulder to overhead fifty (50) pounds
• Carrying a weight of fifty (50) pounds for a distance of 50 feet

Social environment

• Emergencies
• Interruptions
• Time pressures
• High volume of work
• Handling multiple or complicated tasks, frequently changing tasks, unscheduled tasks
• Accuracy
• Decision making
• Concentration/vigilance
• Teamwork
• Working in close proximity with others
• Regular overtime/rotating shifts
• Conditions frequently include traumatic subject matter, public contact
• Conditions may rarely include working in isolation, dangerous environment

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

Knowledge of

• Business practices and procedures include filing, indexing, and cross-referencing methods.
• Structure and content of the English language including spelling and grammar.
• Local geography and topography.
• Policies, procedures, processes, laws, ordinances, and regulations affect public safety call-taking and the ability to apply them appropriately.

Skill in

• Communicating and documenting information clearly, concisely, and effectively as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Operating computer systems with specialized software and entering data with speed and accuracy.
• Comprehending and recalling large volumes of information including names, numbers, and locations.
• Actively listening and following instructions.
• Organizing and prioritizing work to meet deadlines and accomplish tasks.
• Using sound judgment and decision-making to quickly evaluate situations that may involve limited information.
• Applying logic, critical thinking, and reasoning to reach conclusions and solve problems.
• Reading and interpreting geographical spatial data and maps quickly and accurately.

Ability to

• Establish and maintain cooperative and professional relationships with coworkers, supervisors, internal and external customers, and other public safety agencies.
• Provide courteous customer service and deal tactfully and empathetically with a demanding public.
• Maintain calm under pressure and obtain information from hostile, confusing, and/or emotional callers in stressful situations.
• Adapt and function with minimal supervision in high-stress situations.
• Interact successfully with people of different social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Handle multiple tasks simultaneously and respond quickly and alertly.
• Be resilient and resourceful while coordinating high-risk, high-stress operations.
• Learn quickly and retain training material necessary to perform functions at a high level.
• Adhere to stringent policy and procedure requirements and maintain confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Compile and analyze operational data and prepare and maintain accurate records.
• Maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.

Selection Procedure

The hiring authority will select the successful candidate based on departmental needs.

All offers of employment made to new hires and rehires at Maricopa County are contingent upon successful completion of a post-offer, pre-employment thorough background investigation. A background investigation is conducted on a current employee who changes to a Safety Sensitive Position or one having the potential for serious adverse impact on the integrity or efficiency of the County. These requirements do not pertain to employees of elected officials who undergo background investigation processes administered through their respective offices.

Typically, successful candidates are hired at a salary rate, up to midpoint of the range, based on applicable experience, internal equity and budgetary allowances.

• Consideration will only be given to candidates who submit online applications
• Candidates will be contacted primarily through email and their Workday online application profile
• Must pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive

Maricopa County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process or to perform the essential functions of the position under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact [e-mail] to initiate the interactive process.