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The differences between communications officers and public safety dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a communications officer has an average salary of $40,161, which is higher than the $35,063 average annual salary of a public safety dispatcher.
The top three skills for a communications officer include affordable housing, non-emergency telephone calls and customer service. The most important skills for a public safety dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, customer service, and CAD.
| Communications Officer | Public Safety Dispatcher | |
| Yearly salary | $40,161 | $35,063 |
| Hourly rate | $19.31 | $16.86 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 73,260 | 25,700 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A communications officer is responsible for maintaining the brand image of an organization through monitoring marketing campaigns and public relations techniques. Communications officers handle press releases, social media management, media outreach, reviewing digital contents, and disseminating public communications within the company's premises and appropriate audience. They often coordinate with the senior management to develop strategic procedures to improve brand awareness, attracting potential partnerships that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability. A communications officer must have excellent leadership skills to monitor the performance of the communications staff and ensure maximum productivity.
A public safety dispatcher is primarily responsible for handling emergency or non-emergency calls from the public. They are in charge of identifying the caller's needs calmly and proactively, dispatching law enforcement officers or emergency responders at the scene in a timely and efficient manner. They must operate communications equipment, manage schedules, and quickly adapt to any situation as the calls can be unpredictable and critical. Furthermore, as a public safety dispatcher, it is essential to maintain records of all calls and interactions, adhering to the organization's policies and regulations at all times.
Communications officers and public safety dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Officer | Public Safety Dispatcher | |
| Average salary | $40,161 | $35,063 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $62,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | City of San Jos |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Government |
There are a few differences between a communications officer and a public safety dispatcher in terms of educational background:
| Communications Officer | Public Safety Dispatcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | - |
Here are the differences between communications officers' and public safety dispatchers' demographics:
| Communications Officer | Public Safety Dispatcher | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 17% |