Untitled document
A. Professional Orientation and Ethics
1. Basic functions of the public safety dispatcher within the public safety system
2. Common functions of the communication center
3. Professional demeanor and ethical behavior
4. Developing a community service attitude
5. Communicating effectively with the public, co-workers, field personnel and supervisors
6. Work flow in the communications center
7. Chain of command and organizational structures
8. Policies and procedures impacting communications center operations, training and personnel
9. Career development and opportunities
B. Criminal Justice System
1. Court System
a. Local
b. State
c. Federal
2. Functions of law enforcement in the criminal justice system
3. Corrections
4. Public safety dispatcher's role in the criminal justice system
5. Impact of the public safety dispatcher's actions on the outcome of a court case
C. Introduction to law
1. Definition of a crime
2. Classifications of crimes
3. Corpus delicti
4. Probable cause
5 .Types of evidence
6. Confidentiality of communications information/privileged information
7. Release of "public information"
8.Civil liability and criminal negligence
9.Statutory law
10.Case law
11.Evidentiary value of communications data
12.Parties to a crime
13. Court orders
14. Local ordinances
15. Criminal and civil law
16. Spirit of the Law vs. Letter of the Law
17. Criminal intent vs. criminal negligence
18. Elements of Specific Crimes
a. Murder (Penal Code section 187)
b. Robbery (Penal Code section 211)
c. Sexual Assaults (Penal Code sections 220, 261, 288, 289)
d. Assault and Battery (Penal Code sections 240, 241, and 242)
e. Assault with a Deadly Weapon (Penal Code section 245)
f. Domestic Violence (Penal Code section 273.5)
g. Disturbing the Peace (Penal Code section 415)
h. Displaying a Weapon in a Rude and Threatening Manner (Brandishing) (Penal Code section 417)
i. Criminal Threats (Penal Code section 422)
j. Burglary (Penal Code section 459)
k. Petty Theft (Penal Code section 484)
l. Grand Theft (Penal Code section 487)
m. Public Intoxication (Penal Code section 647f)
D. Interpersonal Communication
1. Reasons for developing positive communication skills
2. Elements of the communication process
3. Elements of communication, including:
a. Content
b. Nonverbal
c. Voice
4. Professional conduct
5. Promoting a positive workplace environment
6. Unacceptable behavior
7. Effects of nonverbal signals during communications
8. Communication behaviors and styles
9. Strategies for deflecting verbal abuse
10. Active listening concepts
11. Listening obstacles
12. Disclosure
a. Definition of disclosure
b. Considerations regarding disclosures
c. Reporting requirements
E. Telephone technology and Procedures
1. Interview techniques to obtain information from victims, witnesses, or personnel from other agencies
2. Techniques for calming a caller in crisis
3. Receiving and handling callers
4.Techniques to effectively communicate with a person who is:
a. Abrasive
b. Frightened
c. Hysterical
d. Hurried
e. Politically demanding
f. Under the influence of drugs or alcohol
g. Very young or very old
h. Rambling
i. Heavily accented
5. Hostile or unapproachable
a. Mentally incapacitated
b. Suicidal
c. Frustrated
6. Processing duplicate phone calls for assistance
7. Obtaining pertinent information using primary and secondary questions
8. Routing calls for service and information to allied agencies
9. Relaying incident information to radio dispatcher in a timely manner
10. Initiating telephone number traces
11. Explaining department procedures/policies, and legal procedures to the public
12. Monitoring and responding to alarm, alerting, and surveillance systems
13. Criteria to classify and prioritize multiple calls and requests for service
14. Procedures, guidelines and liability considerations for advising citizens of actions to take
under emergency and non-emergency circumstances
15. Purpose and appropriate use of the phonetic alphabet
16. Detecting and interpreting background voices and noises heard over the telephone
17. Effective communication skills
18. Conveying clear and accurate directions and instructions on the telephone
19. Audio recorders
20. The 9-1-1 system
21. Other telephone technology utilized in a public safety dispatch center
22. Automated mapping systems
F. Missing Persons
1. Background and legislative intent underlying missing person laws and regulations, missing person definitions and related Penal Code statutes
2. Types of missing persons
3. Statutory requirements associated with law enforcement's response
4. Resources and investigative tools
G. Domestic Violence
1. Provisions of the Penal Code which relate to domestic violence
2. Domestic violence legal definitions and terminology
3. Law enforcement's responsibility in responding to a report of domestic violence
4. The role of the public safety dispatcher in domestic violence calls
5. Referral agencies and resources
6. Incidents involving children
7. Emergency assistance to victims
H. Community Policing, Cultural Diversity, Hate Crimes and Gang Awareness
1. History and definition of community policing
2. Benefits of community policing to organization, community and employee
3. Role of the public safety dispatcher in community policing
4. Culture and cultural diversity defined
5. Changing terminology associated with diversity, ethnicity, and human relations
6. Professional, personal, and organizational benefits of valuing diversity within the community and public safety organizations
7. Definitions of and differences between: prejudice is a prejudgment or point of view about a person or group of individuals that is usually formed before the facts are known; discrimination is defined as an action or behavior that is prompted or based on prejudiced thought
8. Stereotype defined
9. Strategies for effective communication within a diverse community
10. Cross-cultural considerations during telephone contacts
11. Distinguishing between Penal Code definition of a hate crime versus a hate incident
12. Hate crimes (As defined in Penal Code sections 422.6 and 422.7)
13. Hate incidents (As defined in Penal Code section 628.1(b)(1))
14. The public safety dispatcher's responsibility in response to reports of hate crimes.
15. Legal rights and remedies available to victims of hate crimes
16. Awareness of criminal gang activity
17. Dispatcher's role in enhancing officer safety on gang-related calls
I. Child, Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse
1. Overview of child abuse
2. Types of child abuse
3. Laws related to child abuse
4. Crimes associated with the abuse of children
5. Resources, services and facilities available to victims of child abuse
6. An overview of elder/dependent adult abuse
7. Types of elder/dependent adult abuse
8. Laws related to elder/dependent adult abuse
9. Crimes associated with the abuse of elders and dependent adults
10. Resources, services and facilities available to victims of elder/dependent
11. The public safety dispatcher's role in child, elder and dependent adult abuse cases
J. Law Enforcement Telecommunications
1. Information available, procedures for making inquiry into and the capability of cross referencing information obtained within the following systems:
a. California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS)
b. Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS)
c. National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
d. National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS)
e. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
f. Oregon Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS)
2. Information systems directly accessible to California law enforcement agencies
3. State laws and policies for obtaining, verifying, and disseminating
4. Telecommunication information
5. Requirements for maintaining records in law enforcement information systems
K. Radio Technology and Procedures
1. Monitoring, documenting, and responding to radio transmissions from field personnel and other public services
2. Monitoring and responding to messages from local, state and federal agencies, to include;
3. Monitoring, documenting, coordinating and updating field units and incidents status
4. Providing requested information to law enforcement field units
5. Broadcasting officer safety and/or mutual aid information
6. Dispatching strategies
7. Effective dispatching techniques and professional radio demeanor
8. Techniques for managing and prioritizing radio traffic
9. Considerations for broadcasting to law enforcement personnel responding to potentially dangerous situations
10. Evaluating available information to determine what actions, personnel and resources are needed by field operations units
11. Transmitting emergency bulletins to allied agencies
12. Situations which may require supervisor notification/approval
13. Policies, procedures and regulations that affect the dispatcher's decision-making process
14. Detecting, interpreting and responding to background voices and noises heard over the radio
15. Importance of clear voice projection, good diction and proper modulation in radio communications
16. Common techniques that may assist the dispatcher in controlling the flow of conversation and eliciting needed information
17. Giving clear and accurate directions and instructions on the radio
18. Officer safety considerations
19. Communication center radio equipment
20. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations
L. Resources and Referral Services
1. Examples of resource materials and their use in performing public safety dispatcher job duties
2. Notifying or dispatching other public service resources to an emergency or call for service
3. Types of local, state and federal referral and support agencies
4. Map reading/geography
5. The importance of familiarization with jurisdictional geographic characteristics
6. Troubleshooting unknown or unclear locations
7. Alternate N-1-1 Number systems
M. Critical Incidents
1. Public safety dispatcher's role in critical incidents
2. Resource material available to guide the dispatcher through a critical incident
3. Emergency Operation Center
4. Components and procedures to activate emergency management systems
5. Mutual aid
6. Other resources
N. Wellness Management
1. Stress defined
2. Symptoms of stress
3. Potential sources of stress
4. Short-term and long-term effects of stress
5. Techniques to promote wellness
