Communications
Officers monitor and prioritize service and information requests from
the public, and then dispatch the appropriate units. Communications
Officers perform a vital function within the department and require
skills and abilities that are unique. At all time, they must have the
ability to be calm when talking to emotionally upset or irate individuals
or when confronted with life and death situations. Communications Officers
must listen carefully, while at the same time distinguish between, and
monitor, multiple radio transmissions and telephone conversations. They
also must have the ability to remember past calls and events and relay
correct information to officers in the field. Working under pressure,
Communications Officers must exercise good judgment and make sound decisions
in highly charged emergency situations. In addition, a Telephone Device
for the Deaf (TDD) is used to assist the hearing-impaired callers.