Communications Lead

Summary

The Valley County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a disciplined and proactive professional to serve as Communications Lead
. This position is vital to the safety of our residents and first responders, acting as the primary link between the public and emergency services. The Lead ensures that every call is received, dispatched, and processed with the highest degree of accuracy and speed, operating with the latitude to exercise independent judgment and initiative within established County policies. This is a full‑time position with full employee benefits.

The Communications Lead plays a dual role as both an expert operator and a team mentor. A significant portion of this position involves assisting in the supervision and training of Communications Center employees. The Lead is responsible for maintaining comprehensive training records and keeping the department’s training manual current. By performing quality assurance on medical protocols and compiling critical audio records from radio and telephone traffic, the Lead ensures that the department’s high standards for service are consistently met and documented.

• Emergency Response:
  Receiving, evaluating, and prioritizing requests for service. The Lead interviews callers to determine the nature of emergencies, provides life‑saving medical instructions before responders arrive, and maintains contact during evolving situations.
• Technical Dispatch:
  Utilizing Computer‑Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems and Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) to monitor field units and dispatch the appropriate personnel and equipment based on vocal stress, phrasing, and cooperation levels of the caller.
• Information Management:
  Managing sensitive data, including entering and maintaining warrant statuses, protection orders, and updating telephone and computer databases to ensure field units have the most accurate information available.

Beyond the headset, the Communications Lead serves as an essential administrative coordinator. This individual performs time management and scheduling functions to ensure the center is always at peak readiness. They maintain accurate logs of all activities and reports, perform general clerical duties, and ensure that their immediate supervisor is kept fully informed of all work progress and project priorities.

The successful candidate for Communications Lead will possess a foundational education consisting of a high school diploma or its equivalent, paired with at least three (3) years of professional dispatch experience. Because this role is a position of public trust, the individual must be able to successfully pass a comprehensive background investigation—including an in‑depth review of criminal and employment history—and a pre‑employment drug screen.

• Idaho POST Certification for Dispatch
• Idaho Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (ILETS) Certification
• National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Certification
• CPR Certification

Beyond these credentials, the candidate must demonstrate intermediate computer skills and a deep knowledge of radio transmission procedures and telephone call‑handling techniques. A thorough understanding of applicable policies, rules, and regulations is required, as is a functional geographic knowledge of County roads and surrounding areas to ensure the accurate routing of emergency services.

As a supervisor and mentor, the Lead must have a firm grasp of employee training and supervision methods. They must not only possess the ability to train new staff effectively but also the temperament to lead by example.

The role demands a rare combination of cognitive and emotional skills: the ability to listen to and retain complex information during emergency calls, the capacity to operate radio equipment with speed and efficiency under extreme stress, and the verbal skill to communicate effectively with callers in their most vulnerable moments. Ultimately, the Communications Lead must be a person who exercises exceptional judgment when prioritizing calls and…