Public Safety Dispatcher

The Public Safety Dispatcher Certificate of Achievement is designed to prepare students to meet the skills, needs, and minimum requirements for public safety dispatchers and communications technicians for municipal, county, and state agencies. The curriculum prepares students with a foundation in the basics of criminal law, professionalism and ethics, emergency telephone answering techniques, radio dispatching, radio codes, critical incidents, stress management, and community policing and relations. The skills developed during classes enhance students' knowledge of the criminal justice system and in-depth understanding of written and oral emergency communication, as well as issues pertinent to the dispatch profession, including assessing problems, prioritizing resources, and identifying solutions using good judgment.

5 average

The purpose of the Certificate of Achievement for Public Safety Dispatchers is to provide the student with selected basic core courses to meet the needs of entry-level positions or re-skilling of current public safety dispatchers in preparation for employment, lateral movement, and/or promotional movement in the non-sworn public safety field. The Public Safety Dispatcher certificate program consists of courses in Effective Communication and Introduction courses in the Administration of Justice, Corrections, and Homeland Security.

The goal of this program is to meet the needs of students who are interested in pursuing careers in or advancing in the myriad of fields offered for non-sworn police dispatch, and fire dispatch, including Local, State, and Federal government agencies. Possession of such a certificate will demonstrate to employing agencies and companies an orientation to the profession and a basic level of knowledge that is often times lacking from entry-level applicants. Such a certificate can benefit a student/applicant's employability in entry-level positions. 

1. Apply concepts of effective communication and apply to the principles of law enforcement, court preparation, and correctional settings. 

2. Develop techniques to communicate information in a clear and organized manner. 

3. Recognize and analyze the potential depth of crisis situations and communicate the information verbally and in writing. 

4. Understanding the basics of constitutional, statutory, procedural, and case law.

5. Basic understanding of the court procedure and assist with court document preparation.

6. Understand, recognize, and demonstrate effective communication techniques in order to gather information quickly and accurately and transmit the information to first responders. 

7. Articulate knowledge and skills necessary for entry-level positions within various parts of the profession, including a basic understanding of contemporary issues in the communication field.