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City of Sacramento

Dispatcher II (Lateral)

THE POSITION

You must have taken and passed the Dispatcher CritiCall examination for further consideration. To take the examination, click here.

You must have experience as a law enforcement Dispatcher in a Public Safety Dispatch Center to qualify for this position. Please review "Qualifications - Lateral Entry" within this job announcement before applying for this position

Please Note: a candidate must successfully pass a thorough background investigation, including a criminal history check for job-related convictions, fingerprinting, polygraph test, psychological test, credit check, and a drug use history to be considered for this position.

To receive incoming telephone calls and dispatch police units as necessary for assistance;
perform a variety of general support duties related to communications activities.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS


Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the lower class of Dispatcher I. Appointment at the higher class requires that the employee be performing the full range of duties assigned to the class. Work in this class is distinguished from that of the Dispatcher I class by the greater independence with which an incumbent is expected to operate. Dispatcher II is a journey-level classification and incumbents are expected to perform the full range of duties of Dispatcher without direct supervision.


SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
General supervision is provided by a Dispatcher III.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Receive emergency and non-emergency telephone calls from the public requesting police, fire, and local government service; determine nature and priority; dispatch units as necessary; and/or refer or transfer callers to ensure excellent customer service.
  • Maintain radio contact with all units on assignment.
  • Coordinate emergency calls and relay information and assistance requests involving other law enforcement and firefighting agencies.
  • Query information from law enforcement communication networks relating to wanted persons, criminal history, stolen property, and Department of Motor Vehicle information.
  • Query and enter stolen, stored, and repossessed vehicle information.
  • Perform a variety of records keeping duties related to the computer aided dispatch system.
  • Test and inspect equipment as required.
  • Testify in court as needed.
  • Prepare written responses or reports related to communication complaints, investigative follow-ups or police reports.
  • Write daily work progress reports when training a new Dispatcher.
  • Demonstrate professionalism, courtesy, empathy, and excellent customer service in accordance with departmental policy and the community-oriented policing concept.
  • Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each individual holding this classification.

QUALIFICATIONS

*SEE LATERAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS*

Knowledge of:

  • English grammar, usage, spelling and punctuation.
  • Standard radio broadcasting procedures and rules.


Ability to:
  • Express themselves in English in a clear, distinct, and understandable manner when speaking to individuals, before diverse populations, various public and community groups, and when testifying in court.
  • Effectively communicate with and elicit information from upset and irate citizens.
  • Work under pressure and exercise good judgment in emergency situations.
  • Exercise independent judgment and work with a minimum of supervision.
  • Use a computer and keyboard to enter data provided verbally and in writing.
  • Learn standard broadcasting rules and procedures.
  • Learn City street system and physical layout of Sacramento.
  • Understand and comply with oral and written directions.
  • Learn to operate computer-aided dispatch, telephone, and radio broadcasting equipment.
  • Value customers and co-workers through provision of excellent customer service.
  • Operate office machines and equipment.
  • Type 40 net words per minute.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Education:
High school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent and completion of twelve (12) units from an accredited college or university.


Experience:
Successful completion of the probationary period as a Dispatcher I with the City of Sacramento.


Substitution:

High school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent an additional four (4) years of customer service experience may substitute for the required education.


-OR-

LATERAL ENTRY: (1) Two years of experience as a dispatcher working with law enforcement agencies where duties included answering telephone calls and radio dispatching, which must include six months of experience within the last six months. (2) Successful completion of the California P.O.S.T. Public Safety Dispatcher Basic Course within twelve (12) months of appointment.

PROOF OF EDUCATION

Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.

An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD:
Employees hired as a lateral entry must complete twelve (12) months of probation at a satisfactory performance level prior to gaining permanent status.

THE SELECTION PROCEDURE

Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.

1. Application: (Pass/Fail) – All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application by the final filling deadline;
  • Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted.
  • Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified:
  • If applicants do not list current and past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on 40 hours per week (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week).
  • If "see resume" is noted in the "Work Experience" section; a resume will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section.

  • Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted online with your application. Proof of education will be required at time of appointment.
  • Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position.
  • Supplemental documents such as resume, cover letter, and proof of education are highly preferred and recommended at the time of application submission. Documents should be submitted to the City of Sacramento Employment Office as attachment(s) via online with the employment application, emailed to employment@cityofsacramento.org. If submitting via email, please include your name and Job# 002050-26-PD-3 on your documents.

2. Online CritiCall Exam: (Pass/Fail) - Candidates must have taken and passed the Dispatcher CritiCall Examination by 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2026 for further consideration. Candidates can access the examination at any time by visiting the City of Sacramento’s Examination’s website: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment
The online CritiCall examination may test your ability to:
  • Follow rules and directions.
  • Make decisions quickly and accurately based on rules you are provided.
  • Enter data or information (such as names, telephone numbers, license plate sequences, etc.) into a computer using a keyboard.
  • Hear, comprehend, summarize, and/or answer questions about information provided verbally in short story form.
  • Use written information provided on lists (such as an alphabetically sequenced telephone book).
  • Recognize if bits of information, such as addresses or names, are similar or different.
  • Quickly learn and later recognize information that is shown in writing, such as descriptions (e.g., red car, blue boat, green shirt).
  • Perform basic arithmetic (such as addition, subtraction, percentages) without a calculator or other tools.
  • Hear and remember pieces of information, such as telephone numbers or license plate numbers, for a short period of time.
  • Evaluate information provided in order to prioritize or categorize incidents.
  • Evaluate information and identify the most correct solution based upon that information.
  • Determine routes and/or locations using very basic maps. (No prior map-reading training or experience is required to correctly respond to these questions.)
  • Correctly spell commonly used words which sound alike that might delay emergency assistance if misspelled (e.g., patience instead of patients).
  • Communicate using sentences or phrases that clearly express the intended meaning.
  • Read and comprehend written passages.

A Dispatcher CritiCall Examination study guide is available for your reference on the City of Sacramento’s Applicant Resources Page at: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment
  • The exam is fully compatible with the latest version of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Safari users will have to follow the onscreen instructions after clicking the test link for enabling the auto-play function within the Safari browser. Please note, Microsoft is no longer supporting Internet Explorer thus the exam may not be compatible with Internet Explorer Browse.
  • For Apple users, the Safari browser defaults the Media Auto-Play settings to “off”, which prevents sound in certain modules from playing. The setting is easily changed to allow for Auto-Play. Please make sure you check these settings prior to beginning your exam. This exam contains several audio components. Computer speakers and/or headphones will be required.
  • If you have not used the testing system previously, you may be prompted to download a browser plug-in. Please do so in order to take the exam from your computer.

3. Screening Committee: (Pass/Fail)– Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications of candidates who have passed the CritiCall examination. Human Resources will evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications stated on the job announcement. Candidates who have passed the exam and meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the department after the last day of the month.


4. Eligibility: Candidates who pass the online CritiCall examination, submit a valid employment application, and meet the qualification standards will be forwarded to the department for further consideration. You are not required to re-apply or re-take the exam for this position if you have successfully passed the CritiCall test and have active eligibility. You will maintain eligibility for one year from the date of notification of a passing score on the CritiCall examination.


5. Background Process: If considered for appointment, candidates must pass a background investigation, which includes a criminal history check, fingerprinting, polygraph test, psychological test, credit check, and drug use history.

QUESTIONS
For questions concerning Drug Use Standards or the Background process:

For questions concerning the Sacramento Police Department's Public Safety Communications Academy:
  • Call the Sacramento Police Department's Public Safety Communications Academy at (916) 277-1740.

For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process:


Bilingual Pay
Did you know that the City offers bilingual pay? That's right, most labor agreements offer the option of providing employees with bilingual pay if the department deems it to be operationally necessary.

Pension Reform Act
The City of Sacramento is covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and as such, must adhere to the California Public Employee's Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013. Please note that the provisions within this act may affect or impact an applicant's eligibility and/or selection for open vacancies at the City of Sacramento.

Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

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