Communications Operator - Dispatcher

POSITION CLOSES DECEMBER 4TH, 2026 Testing Dates: Unless you are a certified candidate in South Dakota, you must test to be considered for the Communications Operator - Dispatcher position! Tuesday, December 8th, 2026 Testing is timed. If you are late, you will not be able to test! Interviews: Any candidate who passes the test will be contacted for an interview. Find out what it takes to be a Communications Operator! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j General Statement of Duties Under the direct supervision of the Communications Commander and the general supervision of the shift commander, the Communications Operator is responsible for providing dispatching services to emergency services providers and public service entities during his / her tour of duty. The position will require working a rotation of various shifts and work days as assigned including day, evening and midnight shifts, weekends and holidays. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Answer all calls for service, both emergency and non-emergency, determine the nature and priority of calls and dispatch appropriate service providers to properly address the needs related to the calls for service. Monitor and maintain communications with field units to provide updated information from reporting parties and/or field units. Identify additional assets required to assist in resolving situations and direct those resources to incident scenes. Provide direction and assistance to callers during emergency situations through the use of established protocol such as Emergency Medical Dispatch procedures prior to the arrival of service providers. Maintain records and information concerning crime reports, dispatch information, calls for service, business information and contact persons and other official documents related to public safety communications in a timely and efficient manner. Assist with filing, recording and storing official dispatch information. Provide information concerning general safety and personal security to the general public during situations such as crimes in progress, dangerous weather conditions, natural or man-made hazards and medical emergencies. Maintain communication with other local and regional emergency service providers. Provide local and regional information such as weather and road conditions to emergency services providers as requested. Assist walk-in customers during periods when the administrative offices are closed. Operate office equipment in conjunction with emergency communications to include, but not limited to, telephone, both standard and enhanced 911, computer systems, two-way radio systems, photo copier, fax machine, computer paging systems, computer printers. Marginal Duties and Responsibilities Attend ongoing training sessions and departmental meetings as required. Perform all duties and functions in a manner consistent with safe practices and policies established by the City of Brookings and the Brookings Police Department. Perform other such duties as deemed appropriate and assigned/directed. Minimum Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Experience and Education High school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent required. Minimum of one-year full-time experience in a full-service law enforcement communications center preferred. Current certification in Emergency Medical Dispatching and CPR preferred. Current certification as Full-Use NCIC Operator preferred. Current South Dakota 911 Operator Certification preferred. Basic knowledge and experience with the use of both local area and State networked computer systems and their components or similar computer network experience; telephone and/or E91 l telephone systems, two-way radio systems and other general d…

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