Public Safety Dispatcher- POLICE- (Provisional)

Public Safety Dispatcher

Residence is a requirement for all positions. In the absence of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, an applicant shall be deemed a non-resident if he/she cannot show ninety (90) days of continuous and uninterrupted residence in the City of Buffalo prior to filing application. This does not apply to anyone applying for the Buffalo Police Entry Level Examination. Due to the nationwide lifeguard shortage, residency is not a requirement for the seasonal lifeguard position in the City of Buffalo. Applicants from any nearby municipality are encouraged to apply.

Please take notice that the ordinances of the City of Buffalo mandate continuous residency in the city during your employment, except for positions specifically exempt under state law.

A non-refundable application processing fee must accompany your application via check, cash, or money order. Check with the Civil Service office for fee waiver info.

Distinguishing Features of the Class

An incumbent to a position in this class is responsible for operating the public safety communication system in the Department of Police. The Public Safety Dispatcher operates a telephone, radio, computer, Automatic Vehicle Locater (AVL) and related equipment, to dispatch police personnel and equipment to scenes of crimes, accidents, and other emergencies. Incumbents must be able to function calmly under stress, and take appropriate action swiftly. They must exercise sound judgment, alertness, and responsiveness in emergency situations. Work is performed under direct supervision from a higher level police official and in accordance with established policies and procedures. Supervision is not a function of this position.

Examples of Work (Illustration Only)

Receives information regarding various incidents requiring police, fire, or EMS attention emergencies, i.e. fires, robberies, stolen vehicles, missing persons, etc. Operates radio equipment to dispatch police personnel and equipment; dispatches vehicles and personnel for routine and emergency service calls; maintains continuous status and location records of police, fire, and emergency vehicles; operates computer terminal, AVL, to retrieve information and relay same as needed including e-mail system; determines priorities of service when necessary in accordance with established policies and practices; receives incoming telephone calls and provides information; receives calls over the telephone from fire and other governmental agencies; expediently accesses and reports to police staff and other civilian staff in the Department, sensitive information from criminal and personal databases, such as Criminal Justice Information System; performs related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Graduation from High School, GED, or Equivalency Diploma. Proof of education must be presented at time of appointment. Special Requirement(s) 1) Background investigation results, including but not limited to consideration of an applicant's arrests which did not lead to convictions, will be considered in the Police Department's determination of whether an applicant should be denied unsupervised access to the federal Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS?), and therefore denied employment; 2) Must present Association of Police Communications Operator certification within one year of appointment, or within the time schedule for training by Erie County.

Additional Information

Good knowledge of the operation and maintenance of radio and telephone equipment; good knowledge of the geography of the City; clerical aptitude; ability to quickly analyze emergency situations and take decisive action; ability to perform calmly and efficiently in all types of situations; ability to understand and follow oral and written directions; familiarity with police terminology and procedures; ability to maintain records and prepare reports; ability to speak clearly and distinctly; good hearing; mental alertness; physical condition commensurate with the demands of the position.

Important information regarding the qualifying 911 performance test:

A performance test will be held at a later date, to be announced. The written test will be a ranking test and the performance test will be a qualifying (pass/fail) test. You must pass both the written and performance tests to be considered for appointment. You will not be called to the performance test unless you have passed the written test. Since the performance test is qualifying (pass/fail), if you pass the performance test your final score for the examination will be the score that you achieve on the written test.

Candidates may be invited to participate in the performance test in the order of the scores they achieve on the written test. The Department of Human Resources, Division of Civil Service reserves the right to give the performance test to only as many candidates as are needed to fill available vacancies.

The 911 test will be a performance test, administered on a conventional personal computer (PC). You will be using a conventional personal computer (PC) but you will not be using a mouse.

The test consists of three parts, each preceded by a separate practice session. It will test your ability to enter the kinds of information that dispatchers and related personnel must process for fire, police, and emergency medical services. You will not need any specific information prior to the test; rather, complete on-screen instructions will tell you all that you need to know in order to take the test. In order to pass, you must enter the data at a rate of at least 6,000 key-strokes per hour (which is equal to typing approximately 20 words per minute), with an accuracy rate of at least 97.5%.

Candidates not successful on the 911 performance test may be allowed to participate in a retest. Such decision will be made at the discretion of the Department of Human Resources, Division of Civil Service as it relates to recruitment. If allowed, there will be only one retest for candidates that are not successful on this portion of the examination.

Note: No qualifying 911 Performance test will be required if a candidate who is successful on the written portion of the examination has qualified in a previous 911 keyboarding test for examination purposes administered by the Department of Human Resources, Division of Civil Service.

The City of Buffalo's benefit package is designed to give our employees and their loved ones comfort, safety, and stability they need in serving our community each and every day. Our offerings include: medical and vision, dental, life insurance (basic) and (supplemental).