Emergency dispatch operator vs police communications operator

The differences between emergency dispatch operators and police communications operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency dispatch operator has an average salary of $45,398, which is higher than the $39,636 average annual salary of a police communications operator.

The top three skills for an emergency dispatch operator include departmental procedures, emergency dispatch and customer service. The most important skills for a police communications operator are computer aided dispatch, dispatch system, and two-way radio.

Emergency dispatch operator vs police communications operator overview

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Police Communications Operator
Yearly salary	$45,398	$39,636
Hourly rate	$21.83	$19.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	48,634	42,992
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency dispatch operator vs police communications operator salary

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

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Police Communications Operator
Average salary	$45,398	$39,636
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $64,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Wheat Ridge, CO
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Georgetown University
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between emergency dispatch operator and police communications operator education

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

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Police Communications Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency dispatch operator vs police communications operator demographics

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

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Police Communications Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%	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 dispatch operator and police communications operator duties and responsibilities

Emergency dispatch operator example responsibilities.

Train in first responder, CPR, hazmat, wreckmaster.
Educate customers in event history, update data, and troubleshoot their alarm system.
Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve customer telephone inquiries regarding billing issues, service offerings, and equipment usage.
Deploy fire, police, EMT workers to designate locations to assist with crime, injuries, or fire.
Have current appropriate plans, procedures, guidance and laws issue by the county and FEMA available within the EOC.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history

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 dispatch operator vs police communications operator skills

Common emergency dispatch operator skills

Departmental Procedures, 15%
Emergency Dispatch, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Inbound Calls, 10%
Outbound Calls, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 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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Office and Administrative Industry
Emergency Dispatch Operator
Emergency Dispatch Operator vs Police Communications Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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