Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator

The differences between police dispatchers and emergency dispatch 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 $37,402 average annual salary of a police dispatcher.

The top three skills for a police dispatcher include computer aided dispatch, patrol and CAD. The most important skills for an emergency dispatch operator are departmental procedures, emergency dispatch, and customer service.

Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator overview

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Yearly salary	$37,402	$45,398
Hourly rate	$17.98	$21.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	6,964	48,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator salary

Police dispatchers and emergency dispatch operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average salary	$37,402	$45,398
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $48,000	Between $32,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	Philadelphia, PA	-
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	-
Best paying company	City of Seattle	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between police dispatcher and emergency dispatch operator education

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

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator demographics

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

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
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 dispatcher and emergency dispatch operator duties and responsibilities

Police dispatcher example responsibilities.

Rout dispatch calls to police, EMT, and fire departments.
Dispatch and answer phones for police, fire and ems units to calls for emergency and non-emergency situations.
Work with programs such as NCIS/LEAPS, CJIS and IMC.
Assist with completion of subpoenas and warrants.
Respond to emergency calls and dispatch appropriate police and EMT units.
Conduct the operations of radio, telephone, and cad computer systems.

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 dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator skills

Common police dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 15%
Patrol, 8%
CAD, 7%
NCIC, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 6%
Dispatch System, 4%

Common emergency dispatch operator skills

Departmental Procedures, 15%
Emergency Dispatch, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Inbound Calls, 10%
Outbound Calls, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

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Police Dispatcher vs Emergency Dispatch Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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