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.