Emergency communications officer vs police communications operator

The differences between emergency communications officers and police communications operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police communications operator has an average salary of $39,636, which is higher than the $39,422 average annual salary of an emergency communications officer.

The top three skills for an emergency communications officer include patrol, computer aided dispatch and emergency situations. The most important skills for a police communications operator are computer aided dispatch, dispatch system, and two-way radio.

Emergency communications officer vs police communications operator overview

	Emergency Communications Officer	Police Communications Operator
Yearly salary	$39,422	$39,636
Hourly rate	$18.95	$19.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	93,158	42,992
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency communications officer vs police communications operator salary

Emergency communications officers and police communications operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Communications Officer	Police Communications Operator
Average salary	$39,422	$39,636
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $53,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Bloomington, IL	Wheat Ridge, CO
Highest paying state	Oregon	Oregon
Best paying company	City of Austin	Georgetown University
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between emergency communications officer and police communications operator education

There are a few differences between an emergency communications officer and a police communications operator in terms of educational background:

	Emergency Communications Officer	Police Communications Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency communications officer vs police communications operator demographics

Here are the differences between emergency communications officers' and police communications operators' demographics:

	Emergency Communications Officer	Police Communications Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9%
Race ratio	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%	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	17%	17%

Differences between emergency communications officer and police communications operator duties and responsibilities

Emergency communications officer example responsibilities.

Dispatch all patrol units to calls for service.
Monitor Fire/EMS calls of adjacent jurisdictions.
Maintain composure and compassion while handling emergency and non-emergency calls from a diverse community
Retrieve sensitive information such as, DMV files and background histories.
Insert foley catheter or straight cath a patient as directed.
Receive training regarding updates and changes of policies, procedure and regulations to CJIS.

Police communications operator example responsibilities.

Manage busy company switchboard, operating PBX or private branch exchange systems to facilitate connections.
Screen, train, test, and certify operators to gain access to LLETS and/or NCIC.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.
Perform monthly inventory and destruction of COMSEC material while maintaining strict accountability standards.
Control COMSEC for company level operations and follow all destruction and pickup regulations.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.

Emergency communications officer vs police communications operator skills

Common emergency communications officer skills

Patrol, 20%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 10%
Emergency Situations, 7%
CPR, 6%
CAD, 6%
EMS, 6%

Common police communications operator skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 17%
Dispatch System, 6%
Two-Way Radio, 6%
CAD, 6%
Computer System, 5%
Criminal Justice, 5%

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Emergency Communications Officer
Emergency Communications Officer vs Police Communications Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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