Lateral Public Safety Dispatcher

Overview

The Atascadero Police Department serves the City of Atascadero, a small, central coast community located in San Luis Obispo County, California. The City has a population of 30,000 residents and is situated along Highway 101, halfway between the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco. The community is located in the Paso Robles wine region; is a short 20-minute drive to the beach and Highway 1;

within a three-hour drive to Yosemite National Park; or two hours to Monterey and Carmel. For those that enjoy the outdoors, we are close to four local lakes, a national forest and endless hiking and biking trails. Our community is a great place to live, work, and raise a family! Become a member of an organization consisting of hardworking individuals who are passionate about making a positive impact through public service.

The Atascadero Police Department currently consists of nearly 30 sworn and about a dozen civilian employees. Our management team is committed to supporting, mentoring and developing our employees. We embrace the value of fostering and maintaining positive relationships both externally and within our organization. We believe the Public Safety Dispatch unit is the nerve center for our organization. The Patrol Division and Detective Unit work closely with the Dispatch Unit on a regular basis, based on the needs of the Department.

Lateral Transfer Only

Minimum (1) year current experience working for a public safety law enforcement agency and successful completion of the 120-hour P.O.S.T. approved Public Safety Dispatch course.

Aspiring Police and Fire Dispatchers will find an exceptional teamwork environment at the City of Atascadero, that prioritizes a positive learning experience, team building, and a strong supportive culture within the department. In addition to a competitive salary and comprehensive health coverage, we offer an extensive employee wellness program. Our department firmly believes in investing in the overall wellness of our employees in order to create a positive and thriving workplace environment.

Selected candidates will undergo training within the public safety dispatch center as well as the required POST 120-hour course within their first year of employment. Additionally, ongoing training specific to your position will continue yearly throughout your career.

Under general supervision, operates radios and communications equipment to receive, evaluate, respond to calls for information and service; transmits critical data to appropriate police, fire, medical and other personnel; maintains police records and a variety of confidential reports; stores evidence and property and maintains files; performs varied typing and clerical tasks; performs other related duties as required.

Receives supervision from the Dispatch Supervisor or Lead Dispatcher. May oversee the work of other clerical support and volunteer staff as assigned.

The duties and responsibilities listed are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties or responsibilities does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Monitors, receives and transmits emergency and non-emergency calls for police, fire and medical services received by telephone, in person, by radio or through computer terminal teletype and alarm systems.
• Obtains and records information as to exact location of emergencies and uses radio to dispatch equipment in accordance with predetermined plans.
• Provides pre-arrival medical instructions.
• Operates computer-aided dispatcher and other computer systems simultaneously.
• Maintains records and prepares activity logs on information reported, equipment dispatched and disposition of incidents.
• Keeps and records radio contact with police, fire and other unit personnel in the field.
• Broadcasts descriptions of missing and wanted persons, lists of stolen and recovered property, other information to police…