JOB
See NOTES below for future wage increases and/or additional compensation opportunities.
*** THIS IS NOT AN ENTRY-LEVEL DISPATCHER POSITION ***
APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO OTHER DISPATCHER RECRUITMENTS, AS VACANCIES MAY BE FILLED UTILIZING ANY CURRENT DISPATCHER ELIGIBLE LISTS (DISPATCHER IAND FIRE DISPATCHER).
YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PASS A COMPUTER-BASED PERFORMANCE TEST TO BE CONSIDERED FOR DISPATCHER II POSITIONS.
MULTI-TASKING SKILLS AND THE ABILITY TO MAKE QUICK DECISIONS ARE ESSENTIAL TO BE A SUCCESSFUL DISPATCHER.
FOR POSITIONS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SELECTED CANDIDATES WILL UNDERGO A COMPREHENSIVE CHARACTER AND BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING A POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK PRIOR TO HIRE. FELONY CONVICTIONS, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CONVICTIONS, OR USE OF ANY ILLEGAL DRUGS MAY BE DISQUALIFYING. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, REFER TO THE FOLLOWING LINK: https://www.sandiego.gov/police/recruiting/opportunities/dispatcher
Dispatcher II positions in the Police and Fire-Rescue Departments work on a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and are the primary answering point for all 911 and non-emergency phone calls from within the City of San Diego (Fire-Rescue Department has dispatch contracts with Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, and Poway); elicit essential incident information from callers; determine the nature and extent of the request, the priority of the problem and the need for dispatching police, fire or medical field units; enter appropriate information by typing on a computer keyboard into a dispatch format; answer routine inquiries and refer calls not requiring dispatch to the appropriate department or agency; and perform other duties as assigned.
NOTE FOR ALL DISPATCHER II POSITIONS:
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Employees in job classifications represented by the Municipal Employees Association (MEA) are scheduled to receive the following general wage increases:
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3.5% effective 7/1/27
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2% effective 7/1/28
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2% effective 1/1/29
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Eligible benefitted employees originally hired on or after July 10, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS).NOTES FOR POLICE AND FIRE-RESCUE DEPARTMENT POSITIONS:
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Police and Fire-Rescue Departments Dispatcher II employees may answer 50-170 calls a day and are required to sit for long periods of time. Please refer to the Supplemental Information section of the job bulletin for a more detailed description of typical Dispatcher II duties and working conditions.
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Police and Fire-Rescue Departments Dispatcher II employees may be required to work during all City holidays.
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Police and Fire-rescue Departments Dispatcher II employees may be required to work extended periods of night or unusual shift work for which they may receive 5% additional pay.
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The communication center in the Police and Fire-Rescue Departments operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with day, evening, and night shifts. Dispatcher II employees will be rotated to different shifts on a periodic basis.
NOTES FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT POSITIONS:
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Police Department Dispatcher II employees typical starting hourly rate is $33.53.
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Police Department Dispatcher II employees must obtain a California P.O.S.T. Basic Dispatcher Course Certificate within one year from date of hire.
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Police Department Dispatcher II employees who possess a California P.O.S.T. Basic Dispatcher Course Certificate are eligible for 20% additional pay.
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Police Department Dispatcher II employees assigned as operators in the 911 Police Department Phone Room are eligible for 5% additional special assignment pay.
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Police Department Dispatcher II employees work 10 hours per shift, four days per week, with three consecutive days off.
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Police Department Dispatcher II employees may be required to work overtime.
NOTES FOR FIRE-RESCUE DEPARTMENT POSITIONS:
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Fire-Rescue Department Dispatcher II employees work 12-hour shifts (44/36 rotation schedule).
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Fire-Rescue Department Dispatcher II employees may be required to work overtime during training, if needed, on cleared positions.
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Fire-Rescue Department Dispatcher II employees are eligible for 17.5% additional pay after successfully completing the paid mandatory Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) certification course.
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All dispatcher classifications in the Fire-Rescue Department are subject to mandated overtime beyond their scheduled shift with short notice to maintain staffing levels.
EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
You must meet the following requirements on the date you apply, unless otherwise indicated.
CITIZENSHIP: You must be a United States citizen or have the current legal right to work in the United States.
EDUCATION: You must meet ONE of the following options:
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Graduation from high school.
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Passage of the General Education Development (G.E.D.) test.
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Passage of the California High School Proficiency Examination (C.H.S.P.E.).
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Possession of a two-year, four-year, or advanced degree from a college or university.
NOTE:
EXPERIENCE: You must meet ONE of the following options:
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Six months of prior experience as a Dispatcher I or Dispatcher II with the City of San Diego.
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One year of experience as a Dispatcher in a law enforcement agency or fire department.
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One year of experience as a Dispatcher performing emergency dispatch for a medical transport company or department.
NOTE:
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Experience as a dispatcher for taxis, buses, tow trucks, private security systems, automobile clubs or non-emergency medical transport companies is NOT qualifying.
HIGHLY DESIRABLE:
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The ability to communicate and understand any of the following languages: Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Farsi, Somali, Chinese, Indochinese or Tagalog.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
PERSONAL HISTORY STATEMENT: Successful candidates who are interested in a position in the San Diego Police Department must complete and submit a Personal History Statement to the San Diego Police Department. Information regarding this step of the process will be provided at a later date.
SUPPLEMENTAL JOB INFORMATION: A career as a Dispatcher offers many satisfying and rewarding opportunities to help others and make a sufficient contribution to public safety. This challenging, fast-paced work requires quick thinking and problem-solving abilities, and excellent public relations skills. The job, however, also has some demands that you may find less appealing. The factors listed below describe aspects of the job of which you may not be aware. It is important that you consider these conditions before you accept employment in this job classification. This information is not provided to discourage you from seeking employment in this capacity; it is presented only to help you decide if this would be a good job choice for you.
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There will be times that you will be unable to leave your workstation for long periods during your shift. Therefore, you must be able to work in a confined area for your entire shift. You will be required to wear a headset.
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Typically, Police and Fire-Rescue Departments have been described as "paramilitary" work environments. Individuals hired to work in these departments will be required to work through a structured "chain of command."
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You may be required to change your work shift (includes weekends, nights and holidays) and/or cancel days off or holiday plans on short notice. There may be times you will be mandated to work overtime.
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You must respond courteously, calmly, and effectively to telephone calls when someone is rude, impaired, irrational, difficult to understand, confused, using obscene language, and/or screaming at you. You must also be able to respond to calls when a violent or highly emotional situation is taking place.
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For some positions, you may be required to pass a thorough background check, which will include both personal and professional references. Professional references may focus on your suitability for this work, including your ability to deal with stressful situations. Personal references may include evaluations of your honesty and integrity, and will include arrest records, credit history, and use of controlled substances.
PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS: Employment offers are conditional pending the results of all screening processes applicable to this position, which may include the following: confirmation of citizenship or legal right to work in the United States; completion of a pre-employment medical review and exam (which may include drug and alcohol testing); reference checks; and fingerprinting. Fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice for a conviction record report. Certain positions may require additional screening processes, including a polygraph examination and/or background investigation. All screening processes must be successfully completed before employment begins. A positive test result for alcohol, cannabis/marijuana, illegal drugs, or inadequately explained prescription drugs, or misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of pertinent facts in any step of the screening or selection process, may constitute cause for disqualification or termination of employment. Nothing in this job posting constitutes an express or implied contract for employment with the City of San Diego. Candidates must notify the Personnel Department of any change in their name, mailing address, email address, or phone number, otherwise they may miss employment opportunities.
