Dispatcher or Dispatcher Trainee

Title: Dispatcher or Dispatcher Trainee DSP00425

State Role Title: Emergency Coordinator I or Emergency Coordinator II

Hiring Range: Salary is Negotiable and Commensurate with Experience for Dispatchers. Dispatcher Trainees will start at $38,104

Pay Band: 3 or 4

Agency: Department of State Police

Location: Colonial Heights, Virginia

Agency Website: vsp.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

Experienced applicants (non-Trainees) currently not employed by the state who are hired into the Dispatcher position are eligible for a $5,000 sign-on bonus upon hire with signature of a 12-month agreement. Dispatcher Trainees and transferring state employees are eligible for a $5,000 retention bonus after 10 months of successful service with the signature of a 12-month agreement at 10 months.

Classified Applicants hired into this position who are already working in a Dispatcher function are not eligible for either a sign-on bonus upon hire or a retention bonus after 10 months.

•Candidates with prior dispatching training and experience may be hired as a Dispatcher (Emergency Coordinator II), and the salary offered will be commensurate with experience.

•Candidates with limited experience are hired as a Dispatcher Trainee (Emergency Coordinator I - pay-band 3, $38,104). After satisfactory completion of the Dispatcher Trainee Training Curriculum, employees will progress to a Dispatcher (Emergency Coordinator II - pay-band 4) and will receive a 10% salary increase.

•Experienced candidates who are not placed in a trainee status are not eligible for the 10% salary increase.

Your voice on the phone is more powerful than you think. You may not realize it, but to the person on the other end of the line, you are their hero. Your kindness, empathy, and willingness to help can make all the difference in the world. Join our team and become the hero we need.

We are seeking to expand our diverse team of change makers and innovators. As a member of the Virginia State Police family, you would make a difference by serving every city, county, town, resident, and visitor of the Commonwealth through supporting our vast public safety mission. Challenge yourself to make a difference today by applying for a career with the Virginia State Police!

Established in 1932, the Virginia State Police has grown to be the largest police department in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the mission of the Department has continued to expand, our workforce continues to grow. We embrace our tradition of professionalism and excellence, and we are excited for our future as we continue our journey to become best in class. We are firmly committed to our family-like culture and are seeking to expand our diverse team. We provide an outstanding benefits package, including excellent health insurance, membership in the Virginia Retirement System, deferred compensation, paid leave starting on day one, and other benefits available to Commonwealth of Virginia Employees.

In addition, the Virginia State Police supports its personnel through a comprehensive, holistic Wellness Program. From our Therapy Dog, Piper, to full-time peer support, our wellness staff teaches and coaches “cognitive fitness” for all employees every step of the way. Our Wellness Program fosters a welcoming, peer-oriented, inclusive environment with the resources to support our employees throughout their entire VSP career. We are committed to providing the best so you can be at your best!

Contact Human Resources for additional details.

•Learns to operate a variety of communications equipment, maintain various logs, and records of activities.
•Learns to properly access requested information through several systems including CAD, VCIN, NCIC, and NLETS.
•Learns to properly receive and transmit all information first and foremost to State Police personnel and secondly to other state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Leans to answer emergency and non-emergency telephone calls.
•Learns to determine how to prioritize calls by call type and how to create call for service.
•Learns how to enter/disseminate messages for contact follow up within CAD, make accurate entries and inquiries, and retrieve information from CAD and phone databases.
•Learns how to prepare and enter the daily activity report and how to access GPS information, and work with mapping and scheduling software interfaced with the CAD system.
•Learns how to receive and disseminate mail messages.
•Learns proper protocols to receive and disseminate complaints and inquiries from citizens and other sources.
•Learns how to properly contact and request service of wreckers, emergency medical services to include Med-Flight, fire services and other law enforcement agencies.
•Learns proper protocols to make entries, inquiries, and how to retrieve information through VCIN/NCIN and NLETS.
•Learns proper protocols for disseminating information using radio.
•Files all messages.

Minimum Qualifications

•Must be willing to work rotating shifts, holidays, and weekends.
•Some knowledge of the assigned Division’s geographical area including location of important buildings, landmarks, and waterways.
•Some knowledge of operating standard office equipment such as fax and copy machines.
•Skill in keyboarding to include Microsoft software applications for the purposes of data entry and typing in various databases and web-based programs.
•Skill in operating computers, using Microsoft Office software, data entry, problem solving and customer service skills.
•The ability to learn radio codes and operate communications equipment; to effectively communicate in English with the public and Department employees during difficult or stressful situations; to work in a high pressure, high volume environment; to use sound judgement and decision-making skills to evaluate situations and establish priorities while under stress; to solve problems within scope of responsibility, appropriately source complaint/compliment calls correctly, and direct callers to appropriate First Sergeant or Sergeant; to multitask using various resources including radio/telephone/messaging systems, mapping programs, and other sources; and to establish and maintain effective working relationships with law enforcement and all those contacted in the course of work.
•Graduation from high school or equivalent.
•Must be eligible to become Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) certified, which requires either United States (U.S.) citizenship or having been a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and eligible for naturalization.
•Successfully complete required training within four to six months from hire.

Additional Considerations

•Prior First Aid/CPR experience is preferred.

Special Instructions 

A BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION SHALL BE REQUIRED OF EACH SELECTED APPLICANT

Elements of the selection process include the screening of application(s); the interviewing of qualified candidate(s), to include pre-employment testing, a presentation and/or a work sample, if applicable; salary negotiation(s) if applicable; a background investigation; and a medical evaluation if applicable. The anticipated duration of the pre-employment process is determined by the successful completion of the above items.

Applications, cover letters and/or resumes shall only be accepted on-line through the PageUp recruitment management system at https://jobs.virginia.gov and must be received by 11:55 P.M. on May 20, 2024. Please limit resumes to four pages and cover letters to one page. Any additional attachments received in excess of this will not be considered.

PageUp provides a confirmation of receipt of your application, resume and/or cover letter submitted successfully. Please refer to your PageUp account to check the status of your application for this position. For questions, please contact the Employment Unit of the Human Resources Division at civilianemployment@vsp.virginia.gov.

The Department of State Police is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual’s race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, parental status, political affiliation or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

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