Police communications operator vs public safety dispatcher

The differences between police communications operators and public safety dispatchers 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 $35,063 average annual salary of a public safety dispatcher.

The top three skills for a police communications operator include computer aided dispatch, dispatch system and two-way radio. The most important skills for a public safety dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, customer service, and CAD.

Police communications operator vs public safety dispatcher overview

	Police Communications Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$39,636	$35,063
Hourly rate	$19.06	$16.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	42,992	25,700
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Police communications operator vs public safety dispatcher salary

Police communications operators and public safety dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Police Communications Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average salary	$39,636	$35,063
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $55,000	Between $26,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Wheat Ridge, CO	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	Georgetown University	City of San Jos
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between police communications operator and public safety dispatcher education

There are a few differences between a police communications operator and a public safety dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Police Communications Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Police communications operator vs public safety dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between police communications operators' and public safety dispatchers' demographics:

	Police Communications Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9%	Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4%
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 police communications operator and public safety dispatcher duties and responsibilities

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.

Public safety dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage the response and allocation of police, fire, ems personnel when call for service.
Provide a and CPR instructions.
Conduct layperson CPR instruction to local communities.
Train entry dispatchers on Fire/EMS call taking and dispatching.
Provide determinant dispatch codes base on EMD and EFD standards.
Job duties are the answering, processing and dispatching of police, fire and ems services.

Police communications operator vs public safety dispatcher skills

Common police communications operator skills

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

Common public safety dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 15%
Customer Service, 6%
CAD, 6%
Patrol, 5%
Dispatch System, 4%
NCIC, 3%

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Police Communications Operator
Police Communications Operator vs Public Safety Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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