Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatcher

The differences between police dispatchers and emergency 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 $36,748 average annual salary of an emergency dispatcher.

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

Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatcher overview

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$37,402	$36,748
Hourly rate	$17.98	$17.67
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	6,964	29,409
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatcher salary

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

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatcher
Average salary	$37,402	$36,748
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $48,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Philadelphia, PA	Allentown, PA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	City of Seattle	Clean Harbors
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between police dispatcher and emergency dispatcher education

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

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatcher demographics

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

	Police Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4%	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%
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 dispatcher 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 dispatcher example responsibilities.

Perform (EMD) emergency medical dispatch procedures until the police, fire fighters or paramedics arrive.
Receive emergency and non emergency calls via telephone, TDD or radio.
Assist with over the phone medical instruction, CPR instruction, and traumatic emergencies.
Coordinate response of ambulances and public safety units to emergency sites or in-progress crime situations.
Coordinate response of ambulances, fire, and police units to emergencies and in-progress crime situations.
Assist with leading callers through various procedures such as CPR while waiting for units to arrive on scene.

Police dispatcher vs emergency dispatcher skills

Common police dispatcher skills

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

Common emergency dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 12%
EMS, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
CAD, 6%
Public Safety Agencies, 6%
Non-Emergency Telephone Calls, 6%

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Police Dispatcher
Police Dispatcher vs Emergency Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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