Montana Department of Justice

MHP Communications Center Call Taker / DispatcherJob Description - Primary dispatch center for the Montana Highway Patrol, Fish Wildlife and Parks, Motor Carrier Services, and Probation and Parole.- Receives motor vehicle crash and other emergency incident information by telephone or radio from law enforcement agencies or the public. Uses knowledge of report-taking procedures and an ability to remain calm to obtain pertinent information. - Records information related to the incident in a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system.- Dispatches crash/incident information via the two-way radio system, telephone, or mobile data terminal to appropriate trooper(s) using knowledge of the radio system and skill in use of radio equipment.- Constantly remains conscious of each trooper's location and status. To ensure trooper safety, examines the CAD log at various time intervals and, as necessary, performs a follow-up on trooper location.

Training- Orientation – 2 weeks- Criminal Justice Information Network (CJIN) Certification / Warrants – 1 week- Silent Monitoring / Scenarios – 1 week- Phase 1: Call Taking – 2 weeks- Phase 2: Beginning radio – 2 weeks- Phase 3: Advanced radio – 3 weeks- Phase 4: Demonstrate ability to complete all essential duties – 2 weeksType of Instructional Model- Training will be provided through classroom orientation, computer-based training, on-the-job training, as well as mentorship with certified Communications Training Officers and supervisors. Objectives - Phase 1: Focus on becoming a call taker. o Basic understanding of telephone functions and lines coming into the center.o Ability to use CAD, route call locations, ascertain complaint natures, and obtain pertinent incident informationo Demonstrate ability to use available resources to find answerso Basic knowledge of CJINo Knowledge of the police or military phonetic alphabet- Phase 2: Focus on learning to dispatch via 2-way radio system.o Basic knowledge of officer safety and status checkso Working knowledge of major cities, interstates, US, MT, and Secondary routes.o Ability to utilize mapping tools and aids.o Working knowledge of CJIN / ability to run and interpret various CJIN queries.o Basic knowledge of CJIN after hours functionso Basic knowledge of trunked and conventional radio systemso Basic knowledge of radio etiquetteo Basic knowledge of pursuit and other critical incident procedures- Phase 3: Perform all functions of Phase 1 and Phase 2o Demonstrated knowledge of officer safety and status checkso Demonstrated knowledge Montana geography and of mapping tools and aidso Demonstrated knowledge of radio operationso Demonstrated knowledge of advance CJIN queries and CJIN after hours functionso Demonstrated knowledge of critical incident handling procedures- Phase 4: At the conclusion of Phase 4, the trainee should be able to demonstrate proficiency with all duties from Phase 1, 2 and 3 in conjunction with any additional items taught during Phase 4. Trainee will perform all essential functions of a communications center dispatcher on their own.Requirements / Tasks- Provide professional and competent service to the field and the public- Perform emergency and incident call taking- Perform emergency and incident dispatching- Perform advanced CJIN Operations- Act as CJIN After Hours- Process warrants of arrest- Use computer aided dispatch system for records managementAssessments- Phase 1: Trainee will take a final test consisting of 10 live calls to be completed on the communications center floor without trainer assistance. Each call will be evaluated using the current Quality Assurance call taking criteria. The trainee must receive a ‘yes’ in all essential areas marked red and 80% or better in all non-essential areas marked black to advance to Phase 2.- Phase 2: Training is taught in a live environment. Training will start with slower radios. The first week is focused on radios and phones will not be answered by the trainee. Trainee will receive a daily observation report (DOR) and will advance to Phase 3 once the trainee consistently meets Phase 2 objectives.- Phase 3: Trainee will take progressively busier radios and answer the phone. Trainees will begin to sit at CJIN control terminals. A DOR is completed. Trainee will advance to Phase 4 once the trainee consistently meets Phase 3 expectations. - Phase 4: Trainee demonstrates they can perform all duties at a ‘meets expectations’ level. Trainee will continue to receive daily observation reports until they graduate from training. Trainee will graduate from training once the trainee consistently meets Phase 4 objectives.Training Outcomes- Trainee will receive the following certifications:o CPRo Emergency Medical Dispatcho Public Safety Communicator Basico CJIN

Successful applicant(s) will be subject to:Criminal History Fingerprint / Name-based CheckIntensive Background CheckDriving History