Communications Operator (9-1-1 Dispatcher) - Lateral or Entry Level

The City is seeking qualified individuals who are interested in becoming Communications Operators to join our 9-1-1 Communications team. Located in the northwestern corner of Clackamas County, on the banks of the scenic Willamette River and hugging the shore of a 405-acre lake, Lake Oswego is a community rich with art, culture, historic resources, quality schools, vibrant business districts, and an abundance of activities and events for all ages.
 
Working out of the newly constructed Police and City Hall facility in downtown Lake Oswego, the Department has a number of resources to provide exceptional levels of service while offering a number of opportunities to Dispatchers such as Senior Communications Officer, Shift Leader, Quality Assurance Evaluator and Training Officer. The Lake Oswego Communications Center (LOCOM) is a division of the Lake Oswego Police Department along with Sworn Police Officers, Non-sworn Community Service Officers, Evidence, Records and Administrative personnel. In addition, on-site Behavioral Health Specialist, Peer Support Team, Chaplain, and fitness facility round out the valuable support for the Department and community.
 
Respect, Excellence, Trust, and Service guide our values-driven organization in our mission to cultivate an exceptional quality of life for everyone in our community. This dedication to service and collaborative City approach has garnered tremendous community and elected official support for our team and earned our department a 92% overall satisfaction rating (2023).
 
As part of their duties, Communications Operators provide 24-hour 9-1-1 and non-emergency call answering and dispatching service for police, fire and medical. In addition to Lake Oswego, our Communications Operators answer and dispatch calls for the communities of West Linn, Milwaukie, Riverdale, Dunthorpe, Alto Park, and Lake Grove. Service is provided to an estimated 90,000 citizens. Communications Operators also provide after-hour Records service for all Clackamas County Municipalities.
 
Communications Operators can expect to work closely with the various departments of each city; receive and respond to incoming telephone and radio communications, including both 9-1-1 emergency situations and routine public safety service requests; determine the nature of calls and deploy the appropriate personnel and equipment; operate several computers with multiple monitors, radio control equipment, telephone, digital recording equipment, and alarm equipment; and monitor the radio for activities within other City departments and surrounding agencies.

• Receiving and responding to incoming telephone and radio communications, both 911 and routine citizen inquiries regarding public safety services;
• Determining the nature of the call and deploying the appropriate personnel and equipment;
• Operating several computers with multiple monitors, radio control equipment, telephone, digital recording equipment, and alarm equipment; and
• Monitoring the radio for activities within other City departments and surrounding agencies.
• Maintain a positive customer service attitude with citizens, users, co-workers and management, often under pressure and time constraints.
• Ability to work shifts that span a 24-hour period (i.e. day, swing and graveyard shifts) including weekends and holidays; must be able to work unscheduled and/or mandatory overtime, as required.
• Must be reliable and dependable and report for work on a consistent and predicable basis.
• Successfully complete a variety of required certifications, such as Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS), Emergency Medical Dispatching, Oregon Basic Telecommunicator, etc. 
• This position is designated as Essential Personnel. Essential Personnel are expected to report to work on time during extreme weather conditions.

This is a non-uniformed, civilian position responsible for all dispatching duties to support enforcement of laws and ordinances and public caregiving. An employee in this class is under the direct supervision of a Shift Supervisor. Incumbents in this class report to a higher professional classification, such as Supervisor, Manager, Police Captain and Chief of Police. This position is represented by the Lake Oswego Police Officers Association (LOPOA).

Annual Salary Range: $59,739 - $75,111

To qualify, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, have no felony conviction, be at least 18 years of age, have as a minimum a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent, a valid driver’s license, and the ability to successfully complete a thorough background investigation and post-offer psychological and medical examination, including pre-employment drug screen, and be able to type at least 45 wpm. Preference will be given to experienced and/or certified Communications Operators, and applicants experienced with handling more than one phone line and heavy customer contacts. This position is subject to mandatory participation in electronic funds transfer (EFT) for payment of net wages (i.e., Direct Deposit or Pay Card).

For a complete list of the essential duties, knowledge, skills and abilities required, and physical and mental demands please review the complete job description at www.ci.oswego.or.us.

As a result of this process, the Department will establish an eligibility list effective for one year. This is subject to change at the discretion of the City. 

If selected to continue through the process, you will be contacted with instruction for next steps.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

LOPOA Compensation Plan

BENFITS AVAILABLE:

• Medical Insurance choice between traditional indemnity plan or health maintenance organization (HMO)

• Aetna full family medical and dental coverage $120/mo (current cost)
• Kaiser Permanente full family medical and dental coverage $92/mo (current cost)

• Sick Leave Upon Hire: New and lateral hires scheduled to work a forty (40) hour workweek will receive the equivalent of six (6) months (48 hours) of sick leave upon hire rather than accruing sick leave on a monthly basis. Upon completion of the six (6) months, they will accrue sick leave monthly as described in Article 26.1 of the LOPOA labor agreement.
• Education Reimbursement Program

INCENTIVE PAY AVAILABLE:

• Education and certifications at the completion of field training and DPSST basic or career officer development Academy

• 5% for two years of college-level course work or DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 6% for two years of college-level course work and DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 10% for a four-year degree or DPSST Advanced Certificate
• 11% for a four-year degree and DPSST Advanced Certificate 
• 15% for an advanced college degree (Master’s or Doctorate Degree)

• Employees who are determined by the City to be fluent in additional languages shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay.
• Shift Differential - Employees regularly assigned to work graveyard shift shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay for all hours worked in their graveyard shift.  
• Premium pay assignments – Training Officers shall receive an additional 5% of their base pay while so assigned.
• Longevity pay for more than six (6), nine (9) and twelve (12) consecutive years of service with the Lake Oswego Police Department.
• Employees who have worked twelve (12) months as Step 6 Communications Operator with satisfactory performance and employed at least 180 days may be promoted to Step 5 of Senior Communications Operator pay range. 

LATERAL COMMUNICATIONS OPERATORS 
In recognition of their previous work experience, qualified lateral Communication Operators are eligible for the following additional benefits and incentives:

Education and certification pay:

• Qualified lateral communication operators will receive additional pay for college course work and/or DPSST Certification at the time of hire as described below.

• 5% for two years of college-level course work or DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 6% for two years of college-level course work and DPSST Intermediate Certificate
• 10% for a four-year degree or DPSST Advanced Certificate
• 11% for a four-year degree and DPSST Advanced Certificate 
• 15% for an advanced college degree (Master’s or Doctorate Degree)

• Qualified lateral Communications Operators will be eligible to receive up to sixty (60) hours of banked vacation time. 
• Qualified lateral Communications Operators may be considered for accelerated vacation accrual rates based on their time as Communications Operator.
• At the time of hire, qualified lateral employees will receive 3% longevity pay if they have more than six (6) years relevant experience, 4% for more than nine (9) years relevant experience, and 5% for more than twelve (12) years relevant experience.

To Qualify as a lateral employee, the candidate must:

• Currently be employed in the equivalent position applied for or hold current certification for the position applied for;
• Currently possess any certifications as required by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST);
• Have completed a field training and evaluation program where required;
• Have three (3) or more years of experience in the position applied for; and
• Be in good standing with a State of Oregon 9-1-1 Communications Agency.

RETIREMENT:

• Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Member contributions are paid on your behalf by the City.

• Tier 1 & 2 PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 29.54% 6% pick up
• OPSRP Police and Fire PERS eligible employee contribution rate is 27.34% 6% pick up 

•  City maintains a 457 deferred compensation plan and contributes 2.5% of base salary into the employee deferred compensation account 

For more detailed information on medical plans, benefits, incentives, and premiums, please review the Benefits tab on the job posting, or the full Lake Oswego Police Officers’ Association Labor Agreement: LOPOA

IMPORTANT

READ TO THE END AND COMPLETE THE STEPS UNDER “APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS”

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Entry Level and Lateral

Applications must be submitted to https://agency.governmentjobs.com/lakeoswego/default.cfm

Incomplete applications will not be accepted and resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed job application. The City application must be submitted to by: 5:00 p.m., April 17, 2025

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ TO THE END AND FOLLOW ALL STEPS

Entry Level and Lateral (All applicants)

Pre-Employment Profile:

In order to be considered for employment with the Lake Oswego Police Department, you must complete and attach the supplemental questionnaire form called "Non-Sworn Pre-Employment Profile."
 
You will find the Pre-Employment Profile form at the link below. Please complete the questionnaire and then attach the document to your on-line application. Any ‘Yes’ answers in the Pre-Employment Profile document must have an explanation. Those explanations may be attached on a supplemental page in either a WORD or PDF document. You must complete this step before you certify and submit your application. 
Link to the Non-Sworn Pre-Employment Profile: http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/hr/recruitment-support-documents
 
If you have questions regarding this step of the process, please feel free to contact Human Resources at 503-534-4244 or jobs@ci.oswego.or.us.

Salary : $59,739 - $75,111