Police Dispatcher

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

 Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary

The police dispatcher is charged with and responsible for the radio dispatching of police and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and the telephone requirement of the department. Aside from the main goal of officer safety, the police dispatcher is the first contact point between the department and the community we serve. Any and all requests for assistance are routed through the Police Department’s Dispatch Office and all police dispatchers are tasked with the responsibility of assisting these people in a polite and timely fashion.

Working location: Police Annex Building, working hour expectations: weekend, nights, holidays, work schedules are set and there will be casual overtime.

Requirements

• HS Diploma or equivalent
• Two years of any type of Dispatching related experience
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted
• Licenses / Certifications: Telecommunications certification from Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) must be acquired within one year from date of hire
• Skills 
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Good speaking skills
  • Must have a pleasant personality and cooperative attitude
  • Must be able to handle heavy telephone and walk-in traffic
  • Must be able to handle stressful or hostile environment due to nature of negative contacts generated by traffic, parking, police actions, etc.
  • Basic computer and printing skills

Essential Functions

• Receives incoming telephone or alarm system calls regarding emergency and non-emergency police and fire service, emergency ambulance service, information, and after-hours calls for departments
• Questions callers to determine their locations, and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed
• Records details of calls, dispatches, and messages
• Determines response requirements and relative priorities of situations, and dispatch units
• Enters, updates, and retrieves information from networks and computerized data systems regarding such things as wanted persons, stolen property, vehicle registration, and stolen vehicles
• Maintains files of information relating to emergency calls
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Preferences

• Preferred education: Some college coursework
• Experience:
  • Dispatch experience
  • Experience in data entry and using computers
•  Skills:
  • Able to type 40 words per minute with no more than three errors
  • Working Conditions:
  • Must be available to work weekends, evenings, and holidays

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.