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The differences between communications operators and police dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police dispatcher has an average salary of $37,402, which is higher than the $31,491 average annual salary of a communications operator.
The top three skills for a communications operator include patients, customer service and emergency situations. The most important skills for a police dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, patrol, and CAD.
| Communications Operator | Police Dispatcher | |
| Yearly salary | $31,491 | $37,402 |
| Hourly rate | $15.14 | $17.98 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 48,509 | 6,964 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 53 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A communications operator is responsible for receiving incoming calls from customers and clients and transferring them to the appropriate department for their needs and concerns. Communications operators perform administrative duties, such as organizing directory, updating customers' information on the database, and pulling-up reports. They also help agents in responding to the customers' inquiries and processing their requests. A communications operator must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in documenting calls for audits and references.
Police Dispatchers are responsible for assessing incoming calls and deploying police resources using professional judgment. Their duties include answering emergency calls from agencies and the public, gathering information from police systems and call handlers, conducting priority assessments based on vulnerability and risks, and liaising with police officers to determine the logistics of place and time of an incident lodged. They also help facilitate investigations, reassure victims, and maintain accurate incident records.
Communications operators and police dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Operator | Police Dispatcher | |
| Average salary | $31,491 | $37,402 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $40,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | City of Round Rock | City of Seattle |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a communications operator and a police dispatcher in terms of educational background:
| Communications Operator | Police Dispatcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between communications operators' and police dispatchers' demographics:
| Communications Operator | Police Dispatcher | |
| Average age | 53 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4% | Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 3.8% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | 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 | 19% | 17% |