Emergency Services Dispatcher I

Alamedasheriff; Alameda, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical & Dental

Vision benefits

Retirement plan

Paid holidays

Job summary

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is seeking entry-level Emergency Services Dispatchers I/II to join the Emergency Services Dispatch Center. Trainees receive on-the-job training and will progress to Dispatcher II after completing the training period and qualifications.

Candidates should be capable of handling high-stress, fast-paced environments and learn to dispatch public safety equipment efficiently. Applicants must meet minimum qualifications, including public contact experience and

Qualifications

• Minimum six months public contact experience (clerical or public safety).
• Completion of a public safety dispatch training course from an accredited school (for some experience paths).
• Ability to learn two-way radio and telephone communications operations.

Skills

Public contact

Typing 40 wpm

Communication

Stress management

Tools

Two-way radio equipment

Telephone systems

Job description

DESCRIPTION

ABOUT THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is a full-service law enforcement agency accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for its law enforcement services, its Regional Training Center, and its Dispatch Unit; the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board for its Crime Lab; the Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board for its Explosive Ordinance Unit. Additionally, the agency's health care provider, Wellpath, has experience working with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). The Sheriff's Office has a current budget of approximately $600 million and has over 1600 authorized positions, including in excess of 1000 sworn personnel. The agency's Chief Executive Officer is Sheriff / Coroner Yesenia L. Sanchez, who is assisted in the operation of the agency by Undersheriff April Luckett-Fahimi, Assistant Sheriffs Daniel McNaughton and Pace Stokes. The Sheriff of Alameda County is responsible for a vast array of tasks and duties, including the following: Providing security to the Consolidated Superior Courts Operating the Coroner's Bureau Operating full-service criminalistics laboratory Performing Civil Process Operating a County Jail (Santa Rita) Operating the County Office of Emergency Services Providing patrol and investigative services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County Pursuant to contractual agreements, providing patrol and investigative services to the City of Dublin, Oakland International Airport, Highland County Hospital, Social Services, and to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District Conducting a basic academy pursuant to Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) requirements. [Sheriff's Academy website] Providing Fish and Game enforcement Project Director of the Narcotics Task Force Serving as the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force. For more detailed information about the agency, visit: Alameda County's Sheriff's Office.

THE POSITION

This is an entry-level classification in the Dispatcher series which is flexibly staffed to the class of Emergency Services Dispatcher II. Emergency Services Dispatchers I work in the Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Dispatch Center and receive on-the-job training. After satisfactory completion of the training period, employees are expected to qualify for appointment to the next higher class of Emergency Services Dispatcher II.

For more detailed information about the job classification, visit: Emergency Services Dispatcher I (#1882).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Either I Experience: The equivalent of six months of experience in the class of Clerk II or an equivalent or higher level class in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.) (Experience must have included public contact.)
• Either II Experience: The equivalent of six months of general clerical experience that involved public contact and completion of a public safety dispatch training course from an accredited school.
• Either III The equivalent of six months of general dispatching experience (such as ambulance, service vehicles, etc.).
• Either IV The equivalent of one year of general clerical experience that involved public contact.

Special Requirements: 1. Hearing must be normal in each ear. 2. Ability to type 40 words per minute. 3. A thorough background investigation will be made of all prospective candidates including a psychological exam.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Knowledge of:

• The highways, main streets, major buildings and geography of Alameda County.
• Simple record keeping.

Ability to:

• Read, write and alphabetize.
• Follow written and oral instructions.
• Retain oral information.
• Learn the operation of two-way radio and telephone communications equipment.
• Speak clearly and concisely in a well-modulated voice.
• Learn to dispatch public safety equipment in an effective manner.
• Deal tactfully with the public.
• React with sound judgment under stress and emergency situations while doing several tasks simultaneously.
• Learn statutes, rules and regulations applicable to communications.
• Learn to operate electronic data terminals.
• Listen and clarify incoming calls to extract pertinent information.
• Write detailed reports.
• Condense a message into a clear written passage.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

1. A review of applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications for the class will move onto the next examination component.
2. Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications for the position will be invited to take a performance examination which is includes a typing test and the CritiCall test. CritiCall is a software that tests job-related knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies critical for public safety dispatchers. The following are some of the areas CritiCall will assess (please note, the following is just an example of areas CritiCall tests for and is not necessarily the components candidates will be tested on): reasoning, stress tolerance, decision making & judgment, multitasking, prioritization, map reading, memory recall, comprehension, probability, data entry, and decision-making. For more information regarding the CritiCall test, applicants may visit their website at: https://criticall911.com/dispatcher-testing/applicants/. Applicants who pass the CritiCall test will be invited to the oral examination.
3. The oral examination will be weighted as 100% of the applicant's final score. Applicants who pass the oral examination will be placed on a list of candidates that are eligible to be referred to a background investigation, the final step in the examination process.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the 'Hiring Process' section of our website: https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/.

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PLAN

• Deadline for Filing: Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 5:00 PM
• Review of Applications for Minimum Qualifications: Friday, November 13, 2026
• Typing Test and CritiCall Performance Exam: From November 20, 2026, through Monday, November 30, 2026, 2:00 PM
• Oral Examination: Week of December 21, 2026
• WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement no later than the recruitment filing deadline. If this is a continuous open recruitment without a filing deadline, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement within ten (10) business days of submitting your application. Unless your disability is readily apparent (for example, you use a wheelchair and need wheelchair-accessible spaces), Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov.

BENEFITS

The County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing. These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Long-Term Care, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g., At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g., theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1st United Credit Union

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement. This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.