Communications Dispatcher; Part Time

APPLICATION FILING PERIOD

This recruitment is continuous until filled. The deadline for the first review of applications is Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Applicants are urged to submit promptly; the recruitment may close at any time without notice.

• Currently enrolled in or has completed a POST‑certified Public Safety Dispatcher course at a Police Academy
• Has previous experience in a Dispatcher role with a law enforcement agency
• Has completed an Associate Arts Degree or higher with a criminal justice emphasis or related field of study
• Is able to work rotating nights, weekends, and holiday shifts with no guaranteed set schedule

Under direct supervision from a Dispatch Training Officer, Lead Communications Dispatcher, or Communications Supervisor, the trainee receives and completes Communication Dispatcher training under the City of Monterey Park Dispatcher Training Program and attends the POST‑certified Public Safety Dispatcher course at a Police Academy. Duties include but are not limited to receiving and transmitting routine and emergency police and fire messages by telephone system, voice radio, and alarm signals;

working an assigned shift; and performing related duties as required.

• Trainees must satisfactorily complete the Monterey Park Dispatcher's Training Program and the POST‑Certified Public Safety Dispatcher course within an 18‑month probationary period; failure to do so results in automatic termination.
• The operation runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; most shift schedules include working part or all of weekends, nights, and holidays.

• High school graduate or GED equivalent (required)
• Typing certificate of 40 WPM, issued within one year of application (required at time of application)
• Associate of Arts Degree (desired)
• One year of experience in a position with extensive daily public contact (desired)
• One year of police‑related experience (highly desirable)
• Current enrollment in or completion of a POST‑Certified Dispatch Academy (highly desirable)
• Previous experience as a Dispatcher with a law enforcement agency (highly desirable)

• Knowledge of office practices and procedures; operation of various office equipment including computers and typewriters;
  Windows software.

• Organization
• Initiative
• Self‑motivation

• Type at a speed of 40 WPM while conversing on the telephone or radio
• Monitor multiple police frequencies
• Control conversations, quickly gathering pertinent and relevant information
• Hear multiple conversations simultaneously and react when appropriate
• Learn and apply police practices, codes, rules, policies, and procedures quickly and interpret them correctly
• Learn and apply basic radio and telephone communications
• Write legibly, spell correctly, comprehend and communicate effectively in English
• Understand, retain and repeat simple and complex oral and written communication
• Follow written and verbal instructions
• Work calmly under extremely stressful situations
• Shift to new tasks and procedures when priorities change
• Work rapidly and accurately with names, numbers, codes and symbols
• Read and understand street maps, retain a workable knowledge of the city, roadways, landmarks and geography
• Exercise good judgment
• Have a memory for details
• Recognize and keep information confidential
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others
• Work in confined quarters for extended periods of time
• Cooperate with others to promote a positive and cooperative work atmosphere

Those in this position may be required to sit at a computer terminal for extended periods of time.

A valid Class "C" California Driver License is required at time of appointment and as a condition of continued employment.

Some of the City’s positions require applicants to provide a typing certificate that includes:

• Name of issuing agency (must be a government agency, employment agency, business college, adult school, or public school system; internet typing tests are not accepted)
• Date of the typing test (must be within one year of the final filing date of the flyer)
• Five‑minute…