Telecommunicator

City of Washington; Washington (NC); On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Retirement plan

Job summary

The City of Washington seeks a dedicated Public Safety Dispatcher to receive and process emergency and non-emergency calls for Police, Fire/EMS. You will prioritize requests, dispatch units, and maintain open lines with responders while guiding the public with information and referrals.

Responsibilities include handling CAD data entry, updating records, and coordinating with officers on scene. Strong multitasking in high-stress situations and accurate documentation are essential for this role.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED and at least 6 months in dispatch or similar public contact role.
• Willingness to obtain NCIC/NCDI, Warrant Repository, and Automated Data Services certifications within 12 months.
• Experience with computer-aided dispatch hardware and software.

Responsibilities

• Receive calls from the public; evaluate requests; prioritize and dispatch units.
• Dispatch public safety to emergencies; communicate with units and coordinate resources.
• Monitor officers and provide information on retained suspects.
• Maintain records for authorizations, warrants, and NCIC entries; log activities.
• Use NC AWARE to check warrants and communicate results to officers.

Skills

CAD dispatch

Data entry

Multitasking

Communication under stress

Public safety coordination

Education

High school diploma or GED

NC Division of Criminal Information cert within 1 year

NC Statewide Warrant Repository training within 1 year

Criminal Justice Automated Data Services within 1 year

Tools

CAD dispatch software

NCIC/NC AWARE systems

Desktop computer / terminal

Job description

Job Description

Summary

Perform specialized telecommunications work in receiving and processing emergency and non-emergency calls for the Police, Fire/EMS for the City. Responsible for receiving service calls from the public, prioritizing calls, dispatching appropriate public safety officials, and maintaining open lines of communication with public safety during emergency situations. The emphasis of the work is data entry into emergency CAD dispatch consoles, providing information and referral to the public, and communicating with police officials during emergencies.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

• Receives incoming calls from the public; evaluates requests for service; prioritizes the call according to protocol and dispatches public safety units
• Receives after-hours calls for utilities, street maintenance, and traffic signal malfunctions
• Dispatches public safety officials to emergencies; communicates with units during situations; send additional units to situation based on requests or updated information
• Monitors self-initiated activities of police officers and provides them with information on retained suspects
• Maintains records of authorizations, warrants, and other information required for DCI/NCIC entries; logs all activities
• Uses NC AWARE Program to check for outstanding warrants; communicates results to officers in the field
• Closes telecommunications calls for service and identifies police units back in service
• Updates criminal history logs
• Performs other duties as assigned

Required Education And/or Experience

High school diploma or general education degree (GED); and at least 6 months' experience in a dispatch function or extensive public contact role. Prior experience in law enforcement or fire/EMS environment is preferred.

Special Requirements trained and certified in the following (must obtain within 1 year of hire date)

• NC Division of Criminal Information certificate
• North Carolina Statewide Warrant Repository
• Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Automated Data Services

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Knowledge of the operation and use of computer-aided dispatching equipment
• Knowledge of FCC communications signals in lieu of voice traffic
• Knowledge of various support manuals and resources such as call books, HAZMAT manual, tactical dispatch manual, and other standard operating procedural manuals
• Some knowledge of current telecommunications practices and procedures as well as practices and procedures used in the police and fire departments
• Knowledge of city geography and street locations
• Ability to manage multiple situations at once under stressful conditions
• Ability to operate a computer terminal, telephones, radios, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) consoles; ability to sit for long periods of time in low light with multiple computer screens
• Ability to enter information on a call while talking to a citizen, or police providing service
• Ability understand or comprehend calls made with different accents or broken English
• Ability to read maps quickly, scan warrant files, and review recorded tapes
• Ability to calmly communicate with people in emergency and stressful situations and document actions are taken.

Physical Requirements

Work in this position is sedentary requiring exertion of up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. The employee must have the visual acuity to operate a computer terminal. Focused concentration for extended periods of time causing fatigue without periodic breaks is an occupational hazard.

Working Conditions

The employee works in an atmospherically controlled environment and is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions with the exception that the work area is devoid of primary lighting due to the visibility requirement of multiple computer screens

Health, Dental And Vision Insurance

The City of Washington provides, at no cost, employee only coverage for Medical (High-Deductible with H.S.A), Vision and Dental insurance. Coverage is available for all regular status full-time employees scheduled to work 40 hours. Employees may also choose to cover eligible dependents. Benefits begin on the 1st day of the month following 30 days of employment.

Paid Life Insurance

The City provides $15,000 of term life insurance and $15,000 of accident death insurance to all full-time employees at no cost. Employees may elect additional coverage, including dependent coverage, at their own cost.

Employer Paid Leave

Paid Vacation: Full-Time employees earn 8 hours of vacation leave per month. Leave accruals increase based on the number of years of City service. (Ex: at 5 years increases to 10 hours per month)

Paid Holidays: The City of Washington observes 13 paid holidays per calendar year. The approved holidays are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, 2 days at Thanksgiving and 3 days at Christmas.

Sick: Full-Time employees earn 8 hours of sick leave per month (Fire Personnel earn 14.15 hours). Sick leave hours accumulate without limits and may be used toward credible service upon retirement from the NC Local Government Retirement System.

Retirement

The City assists our employees in securing their financial future during retirement by participating in the Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System, administered by the State of North Carolina. Regular status employees, scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week, become members in the retirement system upon employment. As a member of this system, employees are required to contribute 6 percent of their gross salary on a tax-deferred basis.

Deferred Compensation Plans

To further assist employees in saving for retirement, the City offers two supplemental retirement savings programs. These programs offer employees an opportunity to save a portion of their salary on a tax-deferred basis to supplement their retirement benefit. The programs offered are 401(k) Supplemental Retirement Income Plan and the 457 Plan through Prudential.

Cafeteria Plan / Supplemental Benefits

Realizing that each employee may have different insurance needs, the City offers its employees the opportunity to supplement City-provided benefits by selecting from the benefits listed below. These benefits are offered at employee's expense through payroll deduction:

• Supplemental Term Life Insurance
• Cancer Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Whole Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (Pre-tax basis)

Death Benefit

After one year as a contributing member of the Retirement System, a death benefit is provided that is equal to the highest 12 months' salary in a row during the 24 months before death, no less than $25,000 and no more than $50,000. There is no cost to the employee for these benefits.

Pay Periods/Direct Deposit

City employees are paid bi-weekly, every other Friday through direct deposit.

Full benefit details may be viewed here: https://mymarkiii.com/cityofwashingtonnc/booklet