Communications Dispatcher IV - Sheriff's Office

This departmental promotional recruitment is being conducted to fill one vacancy in the Sheriff's Office and to establish an eligible list which maybe used to fill future vacancies.

Candidates must be currently employed by the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office and meet promotional eligibility requirements as stated in Civil Service Rule 10, Section 3-Eligibility for Promotional Examinations.

Communications Dispatcher IV is the supervisory level class in the Communications Dispatcher series. An employee in this class is responsible for supervising an assigned shift, assisting in the interpretation of department policy and the resolution of problems in the operation of the Communications Dispatcher Center, as well as performing communications dispatch work.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of an application. A completed application must be postmarked or received online by the final filing deadline.

NOTE: All correspondences relating to this recruitment will be delivered via e-mail. The e-mail account used will be the one provided on your employment application during time of submittal. Please be sure to check your e-mail often for updates. If you do not have an e-mail account on file, Human Resources will send you correspondences via US Mail.

• Assigns, distributes, and reviews the work of a group of communications dispatchers; works to maintain the flow and quality of work within established standards and policies.

• Provides interpretation of departmental policies and procedures.

• Provides expertise in the operations of all emergency communications equipment.

• Writes procedures for dispatchers; updates fire dispatcher run card files.

• Provides back-up assistance in receiving and dispatching law, fire, or emergency medical units in response to requests; receives and processes requests for information from units.

• Documents ongoing stats and location of each mobile unit.

• Operates CRT terminal to maintain communications log and transmit information to local, state, and national law enforcement communications systems.

Experience: Three years operating multiline telephone or radio communications systems, of which at least two years were performing duties equivalent to those of a Communications Dispatcher II in San Joaquin County.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a departmental promotion. Qualified applicants must currently be employed with the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office and meet the promotional eligibility requirements as stated in Civil Service Rule 10, Section 3-Eligiblity for Promotional Examinations.

Basic principles and techniques of management and supervision; California techniques, procedures and method used in the operation of public communications equipment; main geographical reference points in San Joaquin County; telephone etiquette and procedures; language mechanics, spelling, and punctuation; office practices and procedures; recordkeeping principles and procedures; basic filing systems.

Plan, assign, and review the work of others; organize work flow; establish priorities; speak clearly and distinctly; take concise and accurate messages; give clear and specific directions; elicit necessary information; work effectively under pressure; deal effectively with the public; react quickly and calmly in placing and receiving calls of an emergency nature; remember numbers and names while dealing with other variables; follow oral and written instructions and procedures; learn geography of the County; evaluate urgency and seriousness of calls; read maps; type accurately at a reasonable rate of speed.

San Joaquin County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer and is committed to providing equal employment to all without regard to age, ancestry, color, creed, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation or belief, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.  For more information go to Equal Employment Opportunity Division (sjgov.org).

Accommodations for those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):

San Joaquin County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and, upon request, will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Employees hired into this classification are members of a bargaining unit which is represented by SEIU Local 1021. 

Health Insurance:  San Joaquin County provides employees with a choice of three health plans:  a Kaiser Plan, a Select Plan, and a Premier Plan.  Employees pay a portion of the cost of the premium. Dependent coverage is also available. 

Dental Insurance:  The County provides employees with a choice of two dental plans:  Delta Dental and United Health Care-Select Managed Care Direct Compensation Plan.  There is no cost for employee only coverage in either plan; dependent coverage is available at the employee’s expense.

Vision Insurance:  The County provides vision coverage through Vision Service Plan (VSP).  There is no cost for employee only coverage; dependent coverage is available at the employee’s expense.

For more detailed information on the County’s benefits program, visit our website at www.sjgov.org under Human Resources/Employee Benefits. 

Life Insurance:  The County provides eligible employees with life insurance coverage as follows: 

 1 but less than 3 years of continuous service:                   $1,000
 3 but less than 5 years of continuous service:                   $3,000
 5 but less than 10 years of continuous service:                 $5,000
10 years of continuous service or more:                           $10,000 

Employee may purchase additional term life insurance at the group rate.

125 Flexible Benefits Plan:  This is a voluntary program that allows employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses that are not paid by a medical, dental or vision plan (Health Flexible Spending Account $2550 annual limit with a $500 carry over); and dependent care costs (Dependent Care Assistance Plan $5000 annual limit). 

Retirement Plan:  Employees of the County are covered by the County Retirement Law of 1937.  Please visit the San Joaquin County Employees’ Retirement Association (SJCERA) at www.sjcera.org for more information.  NOTE:  If you are receiving a retirement allowance from another California county covered by the County Employees’ Retirement Act of 1937 or from any governmental agency covered by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), you are advised to contact the Retirement Officer of the Retirement Plan from which you retired to determine what effect employment in San Joaquin County would have on your retirement allowance.

Deferred Compensation:  The County maintains a deferred compensation plan under Section 457 of the IRS code. You may annually contribute $18,000 or 100% of your includible compensation, whichever is less.  Individuals age 50 or older may contribute to their plan, up to $24,000. The Roth IRA (after tax) is also now available.

Vacation:  Maximum earned vacation is 10 days each year up to 3 years; 15 days after 3 years; 20 days after 10 years; and 23 days after 20 years.

Holidays:  Effective July 1, 2017, all civil service status employees earn 14 paid holidays each year.  Please see the appopriate MOU for details regarding holidays, accruals, use, and cashability of accrued time.

Sick Leave:  12 working days of sick leave annually with unlimited accumulation.  Sick leave incentive:  An employee is eligible to receive eight hours administrative leave if the leave balance equals at least one- half of the cumulative amount that the employee is eligible to accrue.  The employee must also be on payroll during the entire calendar year.

Bereavement Leave:  3 days of paid leave for the death of an immediate family member, 2 additional days of accrued leave for death of employee’s spouse, domestic partner, parent or child.

Merit Salary Increase:  New employees will receive the starting salary, which is the first step of the salary range.  After employees serve 52 weeks (2080 hours) on each step of the range, they are eligible for a merit increase to the next step.

Job Sharing:  Employees may agree to job-share a position, subject to approval by a Department Head and the Director of Human Resources.

Educational Reimbursement Program:  Eligible employees may be reimbursed for career-related course work up to a maximum of $850 per fiscal year.  Eligible employees enrolled in an approved four (4) year College or University academic program may be reimbursed up to $800 per semester for a maximum of $1600 per fiscal year.

Parking Supplemental Downtown Stockton:  The County contributes up to $17 per pay period for employees who pay for parking and are assigned to work in the Downtown Core Area.

School Activities:  Employees may take up to 40 hours per year, but not more than eight (8) hours per month, to participate in their children’s school activities.

Civil Service Rule 10 – Section 3 – Eligibility for Promotional Examinations

To compete in a promotional examination, an employee must:

A. Meet the minimum qualifications of the class on or before the final filing date for filing applications.

B. Meet one of the following qualifying service requirements:

1. Have permanent status in the Classified Service.

2. Probationary, part-time, or temporary employees who have worked a minimum of 1040 hours in the previous 12 months or previous calendar year.

3. Exempt employees who have worked a minimum of 2,080 continuous and consecutive hours.

C. Have a rating of satisfactory or better on the last performance evaluation.

D. If a person whose name is on a promotional list is separated (except for layoff) the name shall be removed from the promotional list of the action.  

Employees who meet the minimum qualifications will go through one of the following examination process:

• Written Exam: The civil service written exam is a multiple choice format.  If the written exam is administered alone, it will be 100% of the overall score.  Candidates must achieve a minimum rating of 70% in order to be placed on the eligible list.
  
• Oral Exam:   The oral exam is a structured interview process that will assess the candidate’s education, training, and experience and may include a practical exercise.   The oral exam selection process is not a hiring interview.   A panel of up to four people will determine the candidate’s score and rank for placement on the eligible list.  Top candidates from the eligible list are referred for hiring interviews.  If the oral exam is administered alone, it will be 100% of the overall score.  Candidates must achieve a minimum rating of 70% in order to be placed on the eligible list. 
  
• Written & Oral Exam:  If both a written exam and an oral exam is administered, the written exam is weighted at 60% and the oral exam is weighted at 40% unless otherwise indicated on the announcement.  Candidates must achieve a minimum rating of 70% on each examination in order to be placed on the eligible list.
  
• Rate-out:  A rate-out is an examination that involves a paper rating of the candidate’s application using the following criteria: education, training, and experience. Candidates will not be scheduled for the rate-out process. 

Note:  The rating of 70 referred to may be the same or other than an arithmetic 70% of the total possible points.

Testing Accommodation:  Candidates who require testing accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) must call Human Resources Division at (209) 468-3370 prior to the examination date.   

Eligible Lists:   Candidates who pass the examination will be placed on an eligible list for that classification.  Eligible lists are effective for nine months, but may be extended by the Human Resources Director for a longer period which shall not exceed a total of three years for the date esblished.  

Certification/Referral: Names from the eligible list will be referred to the hiring department by the following methods.

• Rule of Five:  The top five names will be referred for hiring interviews.  This applies only to department or countywide promotional examination.

Physical Exam:  Some classifications require physical examinations. Final appointment cannot be made until the eligible has passed the physical examination. The County pays for physical examinations administered in its medical facilities.

Employment of Relatives: Applicants who are relatives of employees in a department within the 3rd degree of relationship, (parent, child, grand parent, grand child or sibling) either by blood or marriage, may not be appointed, promoted, transferred into or within the department when;

·         They are related to the Appointing Authority or

·         The employment would result in one of them supervising the work of the other.

Department Head may establish additional limitations on the hiring of relatives by departmental rule.