How to hire a public safety dispatcher

How to hire a public safety dispatcher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step public safety dispatcher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a public safety dispatcher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new public safety dispatcher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a public safety dispatcher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your public safety dispatcher job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a public safety dispatcher for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect public safety dispatcher also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents public safety dispatcher salaries for various positions.

   Type of Public Safety Dispatcher	Description	Hourly rate
   Public Safety Dispatcher	Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers, also called public safety telecommunicators, answer emergency and nonemergency calls.	$12-22
   Telecommunication Operator	A Telecommunication Operator handles all incoming calls and transfers them when necessary to appropriate quarters. As a Telecommunication operator, you will be tasked with responding to inquiries, answering messages, and passing along communication to the right individuals... Show more	$14-24
   Call Taker	A call taker works at a call or dispatch center, where they are primarily in charge of answering calls, identifying the callers' needs, and coordinating services to assist them right away. Although their responsibilities depend on their company or industry of employment, it usually involves answering inquiries, processing requests, arranging appointments or reservations, and handling issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently... Show more	$13-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Computer Aided Dispatch
   • Customer Service
   • CAD
   • Patrol
   • Dispatch System
   • NCIC
   • Public Safety Agencies
   • Criminal Justice
   • Good Judgment
   • Non-Emergency Phone Calls
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • Radio Traffic
   • Data Entry
   • EMS

   Check all skills

   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.

   More public safety dispatcher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your public safety dispatcher job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A public safety dispatcher can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, public safety dispatchers' average salary in arkansas is 61% less than in pennsylvania.
   • Seniority. Entry-level public safety dispatchers 43% less than senior-level public safety dispatchers.
   • Certifications. A public safety dispatcher with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a public safety dispatcher's salary.

   Average public safety dispatcher salary

   $35,063yearly

   $16.86 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level public safety dispatcher salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average public safety dispatcher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$49,781	$24
   2	Minnesota	$43,506	$21
   3	West Virginia	$43,026	$21
   4	New Hampshire	$40,284	$19
   5	Iowa	$38,129	$18
   6	Massachusetts	$38,105	$18
   7	New York	$37,241	$18
   8	Colorado	$36,982	$18
   9	Nevada	$35,692	$17
   10	Maryland	$33,782	$16
   11	Nebraska	$33,629	$16
   12	Indiana	$32,504	$16
   13	Arizona	$32,456	$16
   14	Idaho	$31,635	$15
   15	Utah	$29,957	$14
   16	Texas	$29,221	$14
   17	Florida	$25,606	$12
   18	Oklahoma	$24,759	$12
   19	Arkansas	$19,500	$9

   Average public safety dispatcher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	City of San Jos	$69,536	$33.43	1
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$46,115	$22.17
   3	University of California	$43,476	$20.90	15
   4	University of Rochester	$42,542	$20.45	5
   5	Minnesota State Fair	$42,346	$20.36	10
   6	Town of Lexington	$42,239	$20.31	3
   7	City of Santa Barbara	$41,854	$20.12	2
   8	City of Livermore	$41,516	$19.96	2
   9	City of Oxnard	$41,202	$19.81	3
   10	City of Laguna Beach	$41,132	$19.77
   11	City of Atwater	$41,110	$19.76
   12	Syracuse University	$41,107	$19.76	2
   13	City of Berkeley	$40,912	$19.67
   14	Canisius College	$40,734	$19.58
   15	University of Southern California	$40,459	$19.45	7
   16	City of Renton	$40,212	$19.33	2
   17	Washington County	$40,180	$19.32
   18	Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City	$40,161	$19.31
   19	City of Huntsville	$40,141	$19.30
   20	University of Nevada, Reno	$40,050	$19.25	5

4. Writing a public safety dispatcher job description

   A public safety dispatcher job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a public safety dispatcher job description:

   Public safety dispatcher job description example

   Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is seeking a Public Safety Dispatcher for the department of Public Safety.
   
   Under the direction of a University Police shift supervisor, assists with the operation of the Division of Public Safety Telecommunication Center in Rutgers University Police headquarters. Receives and coordinates all telephone communications including E 911 system, radio requests from Police, Fire EMS, Parking Services, Security Officer Division, Student Safety Patrol, mounted and bike patrols, Facilities Maintenance and Housing personnel when necessary.
   Among the key duties of this position are the following:
   
   * Dispatches and coordinates communications for the Rutgers University Division of Public Safety including Fire, Police, EMS, Parking Services, Intercampus Bus Service, and Handicap Transport Service.
   * Receives and relays and dispatches messages for the Security Officer Division.
   * Monitors all emergency phones throughout campus. Night shift maintains a log of each phone call and records each on a daily check list to make certain that each is in working order.
   * Makes necessary notifications within police departments and the University community regarding certain incidents. Contacts Dean's staff, Residence Life staff, University Police administrators, and Rutgers News Service.
   * Relays communication from police command personnel at emergency sites to other law enforcement agencies. Receives and relays messages to Facilities Maintenance and Housing personnel from 4:00pm to 8:00am daily, and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays. Is also responsible for maintaining records of Facilities and Housing calls.
   * Has the authority to dispatch responding units to all calls for service. Dispatchers receive their authority to dispatch from the Chief of Police. Dispatchers report directly to the Desk Officer or shift supervisor. A commissioned officer is not always in the communications area to oversee dispatcher performance.
   * Must appropriately and efficiently determine response to Basic Life Support and criteria to dispatch paramedics. Must provide medical pre-arrival instructions to caller on a medical call received via 911. Emergency Medical Telephone Instructions: Must appropriately provide instructions for life threatening situations such as cardiac respiratory arrest, childbirth, choking, unconscious or non responsive patients.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find public safety dispatchers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any public safety dispatchers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level public safety dispatchers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your public safety dispatcher job on Zippia to find and recruit public safety dispatcher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit public safety dispatchers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new public safety dispatcher

   Once you've found the public safety dispatcher candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new public safety dispatcher. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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