Department: Somerville Police Department-Emergency Communications
Job Title: Emergency 911 Call-Takers and Police Dispatchers
Union Affiliation: SEIU Local 888
Hours Per Week: 40-hour workweek (various rotation)
Salary: 1,307.69 weekly, plus benefits
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Duties and Responsibilities:
This position requires a high level of communication abilities both verbal and written. The dispatcher must also be able to maintain written records, organize and prioritize work, ability to rapidly and accurately assess and process emergency and non-emergency requests for assistance in a composed manner as well as be able to take direction and also work independently as needed. Receive and process police, fire and ems related emergency calls using various state and local protocols. Dispatch police and other emergency units and personnel as needed. Monitor and operate radio, computer, telephone and other specialized equipment in support of public safety communications and dispatch functions. All emergency calls for the City of Somerville are answered by E-911 Operators and are filtered to other agencies such as the Fire Department or EMS.
Working under the direct supervision of the Lieutenant or Sergeant in command on duty will have detailed job responsibilities in these major areas:
- Must Have Excellent Communication Skills and Must Be Able to Multitask
- Receiving All Emergency Telephone Calls and Text Messages on 911 lines and also Answering Police Emergency Lines
- Filtering Other Agencies 911 Calls and Back up for Chelsea and Cambridge PSAP's
- Trouble Shooting 911 and Other Emergency Signaling Software
- Receiving Non-Emergency Police Calls for Service on the Business Line and from 311
- Dispatching Animal Control, Housing Police and DPW
- Dispatching Somerville Police and Dispatching Over Boston Police Area Emergency Network (BAPERN) and UASI (Homeland Security)
- Understanding of E-911 Procedures and Police Policies and Procedures
- Providing Information to Responders, the Public and Other Agencies
- Responsible for Taking and Entering Police Reports
- Responsible for Acknowledging Direct Emergency Signal Alarms from Active Shooter Software from Shooter Detector System and Shot Spotter
- Responsible for Monitoring Various Cameras in City Buildings
- Responsible for Receiving Information to Run in the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)
- Responsible for Field Unit Requests
- Responsible for Pinging Cell Phones through the Provider
- Responsible for Using Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
- Responsible for Maintaining 911 Certification and CJIS Requirements
Somerville Emergency Call-Takers receive a variety of operational and technical training in support of their duties including mandatory yearly 911 training and recertifying in CJIS. E-911 Call-Takers must be able to accurately record the information provided by callers by swiftly and courteously taking control of the call. E-911 Call-Takers are responsible for pinging a cell phone caller's location and subscriber information if needed to quickly obtain the location of the caller if needed. E-911 Call-Takers handle various types of calls for service such as Fights, Domestic Disturbances, Assaults, Breaking and Entering, Larcenies, Overdoses, Quality of Life issues and many others. In addition, E-911 Call-Takers handle an abundant amount of Psychological Emergencies and must be able to calmly build a rapport with the caller and attempt to deescalate the tone of the call to get Emergency Personnel to them. Accurate information is entered into CAD for the dispatcher to relay over the Police radio. This information is used to address the needs of the caller and may be used in court. E-911 Call-Takers and Dispatchers are required to appear in court if summoned. Dispatchers must be able to be understood by others and over the radio. We are a combined 911 call center and police dispatch unit. We work in conjunction with Police Personnel and provide crucial information obtained from various computer data bases to ensure public safety. The E-911 Unit works various hours and shifts. We work in a call center that can get loud due to phone activity, police and other various radios in the room and any signals/alarms that are detected from the active shooter software systems in the room.
Requirements:
Under the direction of the Police Chief and/or the Commanding Officer, interested candidates should have their High School Diploma or GED equivalent. Candidates need to be available to work a 4 & 2 schedule (4 days on and 2 days off) on the available shift based on seniority. Candidates should be able to type quickly and accurately. Working knowledge of CAD system preferred, not required. There is a constant visual demand for multicomputer use and constant demand for meticulous oral and written communication. Candidate should be able to speak clearly, whether dispatching on the Police radio or call taking. Multitasking is a necessity. We answer 911, 1212 emergency lines and non-emergency lines and enter Police reports. Candidate must be able to remain calm and composed while de-escalating 911 calls. Callers are in distress, hurt or confused and we are required to extract pertinent information to get the caller assistance. Candidate must be able to work independently and work well with other 911 personnel and Police Officers. Must be able to pay attention to detail and accuracy with call taking and while dispatching.
Work Environment:
The work environment is loud, intense, stressful, and fast paced. Employee must be able to sit for long periods of time in a confined shared work space. Emergency 911 Operators are essential employees and are needed 365 days a year, 7 days a week, including weekends, holidays and overtime
Physical and Mental Requirements:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position's essential functions.
Physical Skills: Little to no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)
Motor Skills: Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.
Visual Skills: Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.
The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at x 2059 or .
Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:
- MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
- Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees
Overview of Total Rewards:
- 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union.
- Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
- Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
- Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
- Long term disability through Sun Life
- Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
- Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
- Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
- Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
- Annual cancer screening & wellness release
- Somerville Retirement Pension System
- Tuition reimbursement
- MBTA pass program
- FREE Blue Bikes membership
- Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.
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