CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Meeting Date: June 7, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor and Honorable City Councilmembers
From: Kevin Kilgore, Chief of Police
Subject: Approval of Revised Job Description and Title Change for Police Communications Dispatcher.
Recommendation: That the City Council Approve the Revised Job Description and Title Change for Police Communications Dispatcher.
Funding: Currently Budgeted: ___X_____ Yes ________ No _______ N/A Net General Fund: $0
Amount: $
Account Code/Costs authorized in City Approved Budget AK (verified by Administrative Services Department) INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE:
This item is to request that the City Council Approve revisions and a title change to the job description for the Police Communications Dispatcher.
BACKGROUND:
Periodically, it is customary for an organization to review job classification specifications in relation to the duties and responsibilities of the positions performing the work, the tools and equipment necessary to perform the duties, and the regulatory, legislative, and educational requirements to perform successfully in the position. As there are significant changes that affect the expectations or requirements for performing the work, the work performed or how services are delivered, it is the responsibility of an organization to update the job classification specifications related to the position performing the work. Classification specifications provide support for recruitment, promotion, training, evaluation of performance, career path development, and compensation comparisons. There is no recommendation for a compensation adjustment for the position of Police Communications Dispatcher.
DISCUSSION:
The Sebastopol Police Communications Dispatcher job classification specification was last revised on April 16, 1996, twenty-six years ago. Practices, procedures, equipment, and standards have changed over the last twenty-six years.
Staff are preparing to recruit for a list of eligible Police Communication Dispatcher candidates to fill one current vacancy and potential future vacancies in the Sebastopol Police Department. In preparation for recruitment, staff reviewed the work of the position within the classification and current standards for Police Communications Dispatchers. Staff found significant areas for revision to bring the existing classification specification up to current standards and modern terminology. Council has provided the City Manager authority to make non- substantive changes to job descriptions. In this case, there are numerous revisions including modifying the job duties to better reflect the duties currently being performed and updating the types of equipment and terminology used that were out of date. Therefore, staff recommends council approve the revised classification specification, including a title change, effective June 7, 2022.
Agenda Item Number 11 Agenda Item Number 11
City Council Meeting Packet of June 7, 2022
The Sebastopol Police Officers’ Association has reviewed the revised job classification specification and concurs with the changes.
CITY COUNCIL AND/OR GENERAL PLAN GOALS:
Goal 5 - Provide Open and Responsive Municipal Government Leadership
5.3.3. Encourage and increase public awareness of City Policies, decisions, programs and all public processes and meetings, by investigating effective methods of communication and obtaining feedback from the community.
Goal 6 - Maintain a highly qualified Staff that works to provide services to serve and protect the residents, visitors and business of this community.
Action CHW 5c: Practice an open-door policy in City programs, and actively engage and encourage participation from all individuals regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, class, disability, sexual orientation, and gender.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
As of the writing of this staff report, the City has not received any public comment. However, staff anticipates receiving public comment from interested parties following the publication and distribution of this agenda item report. Such comments will be provided to the City Council as supplemental materials before or at the meeting. In addition, a consent calendar item may be requested to be removed from the consent calendar if a member of the Council public requests to provide public comment on this item.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
This item was noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours prior to schedule meeting date.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No additional funding is required as the position is allocated in the current police department staffing budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council Approve the Revised Job Description and Title Change for the Police Communications Dispatcher.
Attachment:
Police Communications Dispatcher Job Description
Resolution
Agenda Item Number 11 Agenda Item Number 11
City Council Meeting Packet of June 7, 2022
S:\Personnel\Job Descriptions\Current Job Descriptions\Job Description - PDF Version\Police Dispatcher.rtf 1 City of Sebastopol
Job Description
Job Title: POLICE COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER
Division: SPOA
Department: Police Department
Location: Police Services Building
Shift: As Assigned
Reports To: Chief of Police
Prepared By: Chief of Police
Approved By: City Council
Approved Date: 04/16/1996
Revised Date: 06/07/2022
FLSA Status: Nonexempt
PURPOSE
Under general supervision, receives and processes routine and emergency calls; dispatches police; enters, retrieves, and uses data from various automated law enforcement information systems; coordinates with and transfers calls to other emergency service providers as appropriate; performs a variety of clerical and technical duties in support of the Department’s operations; learns applicable policies, procedures, and work methods associated with assigned duties; performs other related duties as required.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
Police Communications Dispatcher is a journey-level class fully competent to independently perform duties which involve receiving incoming telephone calls for police, fire and medical assistance and radio dispatching necessary units using a computer aided dispatch system for keyboard entry of pertinent police response information and unit status data.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
Supervision is provided by the on-duty Police Sergeant or other supervisory level public safety staff.
Specific training and guidance may be received from the Police Records and Support Services Manager.
Incumbents in this class participate in providing general instruction and training to new dispatchers or other staff.
TYPICAL JOB DUTIES include, but are not limited to, the following. Other duties may be assigned. • Receives and processes routine and emergency calls and alarms. • Dispatches police personnel.
• Provides pre-arrival information.
• Enters, retrieves, and uses data from various automated law enforcement information systems, including the computer aided dispatch system (CAD), radio dispatching consoles, and related equipment.
• Coordinates with other emergency service providers as appropriate. • Assists in the training of less experienced personnel when acting as Communications training officer.
• Receives and enters calls for service in CAD; determines call priority and dispatches and monitors the status of field units.
• Receives and transfers medical and fire calls; interprets level of service needed through information obtained from field officers or citizens.
Agenda Item Number 11 Agenda Item Number 11
City Council Meeting Packet of June 7, 2022
S:\Personnel\Job Descriptions\Current Job Descriptions\Job Description - PDF Version\Police Dispatcher.rtf 2 • Retrieves information for officers from CLETS.
• Schedules tows; requests phone pings per supervisors’ direction; coordinates multi-agency responses when necessary and transfers calls to appropriate agencies if warranted. • Assists citizens with complaints, reports, and requests in person and over the phone. • Receives fees for reports, repossessions, fingerprints, VIN verifications and vehicle storage. • Maintains lost and found property drawer.
• Performs a variety of general support work to assist and maintain Police records, reports, and files. • Accurately process and file arrest reports, warrants, subpoenas, citations, and other miscellaneous departmental paperwork as required.
• Maintains reference materials.
• Prepares and processes reports to the District Attorney. • Maintains subpoena calendar and information for officers. • Processes and prepares traffic citations and sends out traffic/loss verification reports. • Performs a variety of record keeping duties, including maintaining files, indexing, and other general clerical work.
• Updates Dispatch Training Manual as required.
• Enters, updates, and retrieves information in local and county RMS systems, CLETS and NCIC. • Receives, responds to and documents requests for warrants and DMV printouts and documents vehicle impound information.
• Maintains familiarity with major roads, streets, areas, and industrial and public facilities within City boundaries.
• Performs general cleaning and sanitizing within the dispatch office and surrounding area. • Responds to questions and concerns from the general public, department staff, and other agencies. • Takes and records telephone and counter reports and provides information as appropriate and resolves service issues and complaints.
• Establishes positive working relationships with representatives of community organizations, state/ local agencies and associations, City management and staff, and the public. • Fosters and maintains an environment that embraces diversity, integrity, trust, and respect. • Be an integral team player, which involves flexibility, cooperation, and communication. • Perform related duties as assigned.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES
Knowledge of:
Standard radio or telephone communications receiving and transmitting equipment; standard broadcasting procedures and rules; operation of common radio dispatch equipment; public safety classification codes; basic provisions of the California vehicle and penal codes.
Ability to:
Speak and hear clearly and precisely on the telephone, on the radio, and in person; exercise good judgment and make sound decisions in emergency situations; effectively communicate with and elicit information from callers who are injured, terrified, under attack, angry, hostile, chemically impaired, and/or suffering from mental illness; listen to lengthy explanations and extract pertinent information for responders; multitask sufficiently to perform a variety of disparate tasks simultaneously and accurately; work effectively independently with a minimum of supervision; work as part of a team; understand the geographic features and streets of the City of Sebastopol to sufficiently to deploy field units efficiently; use a keyboard to enter data at a speed necessary for adequate job performance; understand and follow verbal and written instructions; comprehend and make inferences from written material; spell with accuracy sufficient to convey message; operate a computer aided dispatch system, various computer software applications, and other office equipment quickly and accurately; provide general instructions and assistance to new dispatchers.
Agenda Item Number 11 Agenda Item Number 11
City Council Meeting Packet of June 7, 2022
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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 the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
Possession of a High School diploma or equivalency such as a general education degree (GED) or High School Equivalency certificate and one (1) to three (3) months related experience and/or training; or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS
Possession of a valid California Driver's license.
Satisfactorily complete the Public Safety Dispatchers Basic Course as required by P.O.S.T. within 12 months of appointment.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, verbal, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
Ability to accurately dispatch public safety equipment and personnel in a coordinated manner; to react quickly, efficiently, and calmly in an emergency situation; to deal courteously and effectively with the public; to understand and carry out complex written and oral directions; to speak clearly and concisely in English; and type a minimum of 45 WPM using a computer keyboard from a clear copy.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and is occasionally exposed to vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Agenda Item Number 11 Agenda Item Number 11
City Council Meeting Packet of June 7, 2022
RESOLUTION NO. _____
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVING THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR
POLICE COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER
WHEREAS, the City of Sebastopol maintains a classification plan that includes classification specifications and job descriptions for all positions within the City; and WHEREAS, any substantive changes to a classification specification or job description needs to be approved by the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the recent promotion of an internal Communications Dispatcher has created an allocated, budgeted and previously approved vacancy to be filled; and WHEREAS, the existing job description for communications dispatcher had not been reviewed, updated and revised since 1996 and was overdue for this process to bring it up to current standards and a state that is reflective of current job duties and scope of duties; and WHEREAS, a recruitment for the vacant position will soon take place thus necessitating the need for a review and an updating of the Communications Dispatcher job description; and WHEREAS, a review of the Communications Dispatcher job description required the deletion of now obsolete duties and technology terminology as well as some substantive updating of some of the duty descriptions and terminology as well as the job title in order to bring it in line with contemporary standards and current technologies being used; and
WHEREAS, these revisions do not make substantive changes to the existing scope of duties, complexity of workload, or work responsibilities requiring a re-classification regarding the job itself nor the salary schedule; and
WHEREAS, the Council desires to authorize the City Manager to make non-substantive changes to classifications and related lists and schedules related to typographical and grammatical errors that do not affect the scope, complexity or pay for a classification; and
WHEREAS, the City of Sebastopol and the Sebastopol Police Officers Association (SPOA) have met and conferred in good faith and concur with the proposed changes.; and WHEREAS, the Council has reviewed the need to approve, update and revise the job description to bring it congruent with contemporary standards and current job duties; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Sebastopol finds, determines and declares that the review, revision and approval of the Police Communications Dispatcher job description is necessary and the update and revisions are acceptable to all parties; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the revision and updating of the Police Communications Dispatcher classification brings it in line with contemporary standards and current job activities with no fiscal impact to the existing budget of the City of Sebastopol as there are no substantive changes requiring a review, reclassification or modification of the existing salary and benefits structure. Additionally, the position is an existing, previously budgeted, approved and allocated position which also creates no additional fiscal impact to the existing budget of the City of Sebastopol; and
Agenda Item Number 11 Agenda Item Number 11
City Council Meeting Packet of June 7, 2022
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City of Sebastopol City Council hereby declares that the revised job description is approved for the Police Communications Dispatcher classification and this classification is approved for recruitment and hiring based on departmental needs whenever there is a vacant, previously budgeted, approved and allocated Police Communications Dispatcher position in the Sebastopol Police Department; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Manager or his designee is authorized to take whatever other action is authorized under the Sebastopol Municipal Code and state and federal law, subject to authorization required from the City Council, consistent with this Resolution and its basic purposes; and The above and foregoing Resolution was duly passed, approved, and adopted at a meeting by the City Council on the 7th day of June, 2022.
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by City of Sebastopol City Council following a roll call vote:
VOTE:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
APPROVED:_____________________________
Mayor Patrick Slayter
ATTEST:______________________________________________
Mary Gourley, MMC, Assistant City Manager / City Clerk
Approved as to Form:
______________________________
Larry McLaughlin, City Attorney
Agenda Item Number 11 Agenda Item Number 11
City Council Meeting Packet of June 7, 2022