Communications Dispatcher Lateral

Salary : $84,714.00 - $108,078.00 Annually
Location : Police Department-965 Sonoma Ave Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 25/26-28ASM-O
Department: Police
Opening Date: 09/29/2025
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: 14


The Position
5% Advanced P.O.S.T. Certificate
3% Intermediate P.O.S.T. Certificate
3% Bilingual Pay
SANTA ROSA POLICE DEPARTMENT IS LOOKING FOR

EXPERIENCED 9-1-1 DISPATCHERS!
Our 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center is located on the second floor of the Public Safety Building, equipped with a state-of-the-art computer aided dispatch system, including multiple monitors, ergonomically designed furniture, and individual work stations with outside window views. The Communications Center is staffed by a team of 23 dispatchers working 10-hour shifts, handling approximately 250,000 calls for service yearly. Supervision is provided by Communications Supervisors.

In addition to a competitive salary, retirement through CalPERS, and a generous benefits package, this position offers opportunities for special assignments which include trainer, administrative and tactical dispatcher, with incentive pay from 2% - 7.5%.

Hiring Incentives:

• Vacation accrual rate that matches the applicant's total years of service as a Communications Dispatcher in California
• A bank of 40 hours of sick leave at the time of hire
• A bank of 80 hours of vacation leave upon successful completion of the training program

The Benefits of City Employment: In addition to offering a challenging, rewarding work environment and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits, including health, dental, vision and life insurance, a generous retirement program, a competitive leave accrual package and holiday leave bank. Detailed information about available benefits can be found in the and in the online .


Additional benefits include:

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) pay is available.
• $500 annually for wellness
• Unlimited free bus rides on CityBus and Sonoma County Transit
• The City is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) qualifying employer

You are encouraged to talk with a Santa Rosa Police Department representative from the Recruiting Office for detailed information or questions.
The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.
You are encouraged to talk with the Santa Rosa Police Department Recruiting staff for additional information or questions:

SRPD Recruiting Office
(707) 543-HIRE

In order to qualify for a Lateral assignment applicants must complete a City application and Supplemental Questionnaire online and must meet the following minimum experience requirements:

• One year of full-time work as a 9-1-1 public safety law enforcement dispatcher with a law enforcement agency independently performing the full range of call-taking and radio dispatching duties within the last five years (excludes time in a Trainee status).

Disqualifying Factors

If you have been unsuccessful in a previous background investigation process (including psychological assessment) with the Santa Rosa Police Department, your application will be screened on a case-by-case basis to determine if you will proceed further in the selection process.
The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.
Examples of Duties and Responsibilities
Essential Duties:

The following duties are considered essential for this job classification:

• Perform a variety of disparate duties simultaneously and accurately
• Receive, triage, and process emergency and routine calls from the public requesting police or other emergency service, applying the techniques, procedures, policies, and methods used in the operation of a moderately sized public safety dispatching agency
• Interrogate callers to determine pertinent information, maintaining composure and working quickly under pressure
• Accurately track the status and location of police units
• Use a Computer Aided Dispatch system to enter pertinent response information and unit status data
• Retrieve and verbally relay information from various databases
• Monitor several different police radio frequencies and operate a variety of communications equipment and technology
• Communicate tactfully with the public and department employees under stressful situations.

Additional Duties:
In addition to the duties listed in the Essential Duties Section, each employee in this classification may perform additional duties as assigned. Any single position may not be assigned all duties listed below, nor do the examples cover all duties which may be assigned.

• Arrange for tow trucks and public works emergency service or contact appropriate agencies
• Operate and maintain the audio recording device and produce copies
• Perform a variety of record keeping, filing, and other general clerical work, specifically related to the communications center function and complex computerized systems
• Monitor surveillance cameras; arrange for unplanned staffing needs
• Monitor and respond appropriate personnel to internal panic alarms
• Manually activate exterior doors from the communications center
• Test and inspect equipment as required
• Provide general instruction to new employees; travel by vehicle to mandated training.

Required Qualifications
Knowledge of: Standard radio or telephone communications receiving and transmitting equipment; standard broadcasting procedures and rules; operation of common radio dispatch equipment; public safety classification codes; basic provisions of the California vehicle and penal codes.
Ability to: Speak and hear clearly and precisely on the telephone, on the radio, and in person; exercise good judgment and make sound decisions in emergency situations; effectively communicate with and elicit information from callers who are injured, terrified, under attack, angry, hostile, chemically impaired, and/or suffering from mental illness; listen to lengthy explanations and extract pertinent information for responders; multitask sufficiently to perform a variety of disparate tasks simultaneously and accurately; effectively work independently with a minimum of supervision; work as part of a team; understand the geographic features and streets of the City of Santa Rosa sufficiently to deploy field units efficiently; use a keyboard to enter data at a speed necessary for adequate job performance; understand and follow oral and written instructions; comprehend and make inferences from written material; spell with accuracy sufficient to convey message; operate a computer aided dispatch system, various computer software applications, and other office equipment quickly and accurately; provide general instructions and assistance to new dispatchers; type at least 35 wpm; and satisfactorily complete the Continuing Professional Training requirement set by P.O.S.T., California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Education- Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade.

Additional Information

Selection Process:
Part I: Application
All completed applications and supplemental questionnaires will be reviewed and a list will be established consisting of all applicants who meet the minimum work experience and education qualifications as stated above.

Part II: Oral Appraisal Interview
Applicants referred for consideration will participate in an oral appraisal interview to evaluate training, experience and other job-related qualifications for the position. Part III: Background Investigation
The background investigation is extensive, and will include a polygraph examination, a police records check, D.M.V. records review, P.O.S.T. Personal History Statement, S.R.P.D. Background Issues Questionnaire, employer reference checks, and Chief's interview and evaluation.
All applicants successful in the background investigation screening and the Chief's interview will be required to take and pass a City-sponsored medical examination, including a psychological evaluation, following a conditional offer of employment and prior to appointment.


Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.
All notices will be sent via e-mail.

Working Conditions

This job is in an emergency communications center at the Police Department. The center is staffed by dispatchers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Incumbents in this classification are required to work various shifts as assigned. Shifts will include nights, weekends, holidays and rotating shifts. Due to the unpredictable nature of 24 hour a day/7 day a week emergency work, it is essential that incumbents assigned to this classification be able to work more than 10 hours in a day and more than 40 hours in a week with little or no notice, in order to maintain operational staffing requirements. Incumbents operate a visual display terminal for extended periods of time, sometimes without the ability to move at will. While the workstations are adjustable to accommodate standing, most incumbents perform the job duties while seated, often for long periods without breaks, and while standing there would be little opportunity for movement at will. Every job function requires real time keyboard entry of data, requiring continuous, repetitive arm and hand movement. Incumbents may also be required to move less than 20 pounds short distances when moving files, property, and supplies. Every job function requires the use of a variety of computers and communications equipment, which requires coordinating movement of more than one limb simultaneously and making fine, highly controlled muscular movements; the ability to hear and understand telephone conversations and radio traffic, and hear alarms and other auditory warning devices; and the ability to read and understand printed material and data displayed on multiple video display monitors.
The City does not discriminate on the basis of disability in employment. Requests for reasonable accommodations needed to participate in the recruitment process may be made by submitting a Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form within five (5) business days of being noticed that an event requiring accommodation is occurring. You may also contact the Human Resources Department at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io.
In addition to offering a challenging, rewarding work environment and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits.

This job classification is in Miscellaneous Unit 14, Police Civilian - Technical. Please click HERE to be redirected to the City's benefits information page.
01


The answers you provide to the supplemental questions will be used to evaluate your qualifications for this position. Additionally, the answers you provide may be scored, using specific criteria to this position, to determine whether you will continue in the selection process. Incomplete responses, minimal or generic responses, or responses such as "see resume" can result in disqualification from the selection process. Specific work experience you claim in response to these questions must be clearly supported and described in the work history and education portion of your application. Do you accept these conditions?

• Yes
• No

02


Do you have a minimum of one year of full-time work as a 9-1-1 public safety law enforcement dispatcher with a law enforcement agency independently performing the full range of call-taking and radio dispatching duties within the last five years (excludes time in a Trainee status)?If you do not have 9-1-1 law enforcement dispatching experience or only Fire communications dispatching experience, STOP HERE as you do not qualify for this lateral position. Visit our website at and apply for entry-level Communications Dispatcher Trainee.

• Yes
• No

03


Are you currently employed full time as a 9-1-1 law enforcement public safety dispatcher?

• Yes
• No

04


Please provide the agency name(s) and date(s) of employment related to your dispatch experience.
05


Have you completed all phases of training and independently performed the full range of 9-1-1 public safety call-taking and primary radio dispatch duties?

• Yes
• No

06


Have you passed a probationary period of at least 12 months duration in a law enforcement public safety dispatcher job classification?

• Yes
• No

07


If YES to Question 6, please identify the agency and length of probation.
08


Do you possess a California P.O.S.T. Public Safety Dispatcher Basic Certificate? If yes, you must attach to the application.

• Yes
• No

Required Question