Sheriff's Call Dispatcher

The Position

This is a continuous filing exam. Next filing cut-offs are at 5:00 pm on: 4/3/26, 6/5/26, 8/7/26, 10/2/26, 12/4/26. Under supervision, the Sheriff's 911 Call Dispatcher receives telephone reports of emergency and non-emergency incidents from Sacramento County residents, contracting cities, and local, state and federal jurisdictions.

Knowledge of basic office procedures, methods, and operation of modern equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and other specialized applications related to area of assignment;
English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation; report writing techniques; major streets, highways, and districts in Sacramento County; principles of effective customer service. Ability to remain calm and courteous while dealing with the public under stressful circumstances; deal with highly stressful situations; take accurate notes and prepare concise reports using information from callers; operate modern office equipment; read maps to identify major geographical points and streets in Sacramento County;

learn to operate communications equipment used by the Sheriff's Office; analyze situations accurately and take effective action; follow written and verbal instructions; learn relevant laws, rules, and regulations; establish and maintain cooperative, effective working relationships with customers, co-workers, other agencies and the general public; communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing; analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action;

effectively organize and prioritize work assignments; keep accurate and orderly records; maintain confidential information; interpret and apply applicable federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations; apply customer service skills, including the identification of customer needs and follow up to ensure customer commitments have been met; speak and understand English clearly and concisely.

Minimum qualifications graduation from high school or satisfactory completion of an acceptable General Education Development (GED) test; AND one year of full-time paid experience performing work where the main duties of the job involved public contact via telephone and/or in person, computer usage, and/or dealing with a high call volume.

Note:

If the word "experience" is referenced in the minimum qualifications, it means full-time paid experience unless the minimum qualification states that volunteer experience is acceptable. Part-time paid experience may be accumulated and pro-rated to meet the total experience requirements.

Note:

If the minimum qualifications include an educational or certificate/license requirement, applicants must submit proof of requirements with the application. Failure to submit proof of requirements may result in disqualification from the examination. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. For guidelines on submitting acceptable proof of educational requirements, please  or speak to someone in our office before the final filing or cut-off date listed in this notice.

General qualifications POST requirement: completion of a California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) approved abilities assessment test with a passing score is required prior to appointment to this class. Successful completion of POST Public Dispatchers' Basic Course required within 12 months from the date of appointment. Incumbents in this class are required to maintain POST Dispatchers' Certificate through Continued Professional Training (CPT) in accordance with POST recommendations.

Typing requirement: demonstrated ability to type accurately at a net speed of not less than 40 words per minute is required prior to appointment. Failure to demonstrate and maintain this ability may constitute cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Criminal history and background checks: the County may access criminal history information on candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of appointment for this class consistent with the provisions of Board of Supervisors Resolution No. 82-602, Personnel Policies, and applicable federal and state laws. The County shall not consider for employment any candidate who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that relates to or impacts the candidate's ability to perform the job duties of this class unless it is determined that mitigating circumstances exist.

For purposes of accessing criminal history information, the candidate will be fingerprinted. A subsequent arrest notification may be obtained. The County may also conduct a background check on the candidate prior to appointment to a position within this class. The background check may include personal and professional reference checks, credit…