Comm Tech Job Description

The Columbus Division of Police has many civilian career opportunities for persons who would like to pursue a career within the Division. One opportunity is the Police Communications Technician position. Police Communications Technicians are assigned to the Communications Bureau. This bureau serves as a vital communications link between the citizens of the community and personnel within the Division.

To learn more about this position, choose one of the following links:

Job Requirements and Description

Pay and Benefits

Contact Information

Testing Information

The Columbus Civil Service Commission handles the initial application and testing process for the Police Communications Technician position. The commission is located at 50 W. Gay Street. To learn more about the testing process, click on the Testing Information link on this webpage.

Being a Police Communications Technician requires hard work, dedication, and flexibility. The biggest reward offered by this position is the personal satisfaction of knowing you are helping people and making a difference.

The Communications Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It never closes.Trainees who successfully complete all phases of coaching will most likely be assigned to second or third shift with weekdays off. The hours for each shift are:

Due to the nature of work, overtime is required. Overtime assignments may be filled on a voluntary basis. However, mandatory overtime is frequent.

As a new employee, you will receive approximately eight weeks of classroom instruction on first shift prior to on-the-job training. During on-the-job training, new employees will work one-on-one with an experienced Police Communications Technician or “coach” on various shifts. On-the-job training or “coaching” will expose you to several different work areas in the bureau, such as call taking and dispatching.

Trainees who successfully complete the first phase of call taking will proceed to the second phase of dispatch training. The entire training program lasts approximately seven months.

During coaching, trainees are cross-trained for all workstations within the Communications Center. These workstations include answering 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls for service, zone dispatching, service channel dispatching, and operating the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (L.E.A.D.S.).

A trainee may be required to perform at each workstation on any given day. Each job task has requirements unique to itself. A brief overview of each task follows:

Citizens contact the Division via its non-emergency telephone number for an array of issues, such as reporting minor crimes, civil disputes, and vehicle accidents. The non-emergency telephone number is 614-645-4545. As a call taker, the Police Communications Technician is responsible for listening to the caller, assessing a situation by asking required questions, and taking the appropriate action.

If a police response is required, the call taker will write an incident for dispatch using the computer-aided dispatching (C.A.D.) system. The C.A.D. system automatically prioritizes incidents by ten-code. The incident is routed to a dispatcher who relays the information to responding officers. Officers rely on the information obtained by the call taker to determine their response to the non-emergency call.

Citizens call 9-1-1 to report life-threatening situations, crimes in progress, or medical emergencies, i.e. when imminent danger to life is present. Examples include, but are not limited to, shootings, stabbings, robberies, and heart attacks. As a 9-1-1-call taker, the Police Communications Technician evaluates each emergency call to determine if police, medical or fire responses are needed and takes the appropriate action.

If a police response is required, the 9-1-1-call taker will write an incident for dispatch using the C.A.D. system. The C.A.D. system automatically prioritizes incidents by ten-code. The incident is routed to a dispatcher who relays the information to responding officers. Officers rely on the information obtained by the 9-1-1-call taker to determine their response to the emergency call.

The City of Columbus is divided into five zones. Each zone has four or five precincts with eight to ten officers assigned to each precinct. When a call taker writes an incident for dispatch, it is forwarded to a zone dispatcher via the C.A.D. system. The dispatcher relays the information obtained by the call taker to responding officers. The dispatcher communicates directly to officers via an 800-megahertz radio system.

As a dispatcher, the Police Communications Technician must exercise good judgment and decision-making skills.

Other dispatcher responsibilities include ensuring officer and citizen safety, multi-tasking, and using the appropriate communications equipment or tools that are required for each incident. Dispatchers, and call takers, must remain calm in stressful situations.

As stated, L.E.A.D.S. is an acronym that stands for the Law Enforcement Automated Data System. This computer system has a nationwide database of license plates, driving records, and warrant information. This system is also used to send teletypes to other law enforcement agencies and to request or send information. An annual exam certification is required for qualification to operate this system.

To learn about more civilian employment opportunities within the Division, click on the Civilian Employment Opportunities link on this webpage.

Police Communications Technicians receive a competitive benefit package, such as paid training, tuition reimbursement after one year of employment, paid holidays, free uniforms, health, dental, vision, and prescription insurance, service credit payment, life insurance and deferred compensation.

Police Communications Technicians are in a variable pay scale ranging from $16.32 per hour or $33,945 annually to $20.97 per hour or $43,617 annually.

Overtime is paid at 1.5 times the normal rate for overtime worked on your first day off. Overtime is paid at 2.0 times the normal rate for overtime worked on your second day off.

More information about this position may be obtained from Linda Guyton, Human Resources Manager. You may contact her at 614-645-4660 with questions or to make arrangements to observe the Communications Center. You may also contact the Civil Service Commission at 614-645-8300 or visit its webpage at http://www.csc.columbus.gov

The Police Communications Technician examination is a computer-based performance simulation of the actual job. This examination will test your decision-making, data entry and memory recall abilities, as well as other job-related tasks. Once you have passed this examination, your name will be certified to the Division of Police. The Division will begin its part in the hiring process. This process includes the completion of an extensive personal history questionnaire, a criminal background check, a polygraph examination, an interview, and a pre-employment drug test.

You may contact the Civil Service Commission at 614-645-8300 or visit its webpage at http://www.csc.columbus.gov to inquire when testing for the Police Communications Technician position will occur.

This site is maintained by the Division of Police Webmaster. Please report any problems with this site, or forward any comments to him at: e-mail@columbuspolice.org.

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