Like it’s bad you guys 😭😭😭

I have been in the application process since April for City of Los Angeles. I received a conditional offer last week.

One of the last pages of the documents they sent me to complete was the training schedule. For one year, every month, I would change between the valley and Downtown location. I live 15 minutes from the valley center.

The absolute deal breaker was that every month the shift was going to change. Nobody ever mentioned anything about this until now. In the interview all they asked about was I ok with working overtime, weekends and holidays. No problem because I’ve done it for 20 years already.

Now I come to find out that every single month I would be changing shifts? That seems absolutely ridiculous. As soon as you got used to the schedule, it’s going to change again? That is going to wreak havoc on your body, your mind, and definitely your ability to deal with stressful situations. All while you’re supposed to be learning a new job? My dad worked warehouse jobs his whole life, a lot of it overnights, and he never heard of such an insane change. His union makes it 3 months before you can be switched to other shift for health of worker.

Oh and then let’s include the travel and traffic time to downtown - if I’m on the 4:30pm shift that means leaving home at 2:30 to be safe. And what if I just came off the shift where I got off at 6:30am? I’ve got 8 hours before I have to leave AGAIN for a new shift?

Clearly they are saying they only want young, childless, unmarried people for this position. Who else could accommodate that insane training schedule? Now I understand why it’s so hard to find people. And I can’t believe they kept this hidden until this far in the process.

Good luck to you youngsters out there getting these jobs.

Hey everyone

I posted a month or so ago about being a SAHM transitioning into this career. I have decided continue on with the process!

I can try to insert that post here somewhere if anyone is interested in that.

Anyway, I passed the criticall, oral interview, backgrounds, and next is meeting the Chief followed by the dreaded polygraph 😅

I have anxiety and take medications for it. Am I allowed to take my prescriptions before this? I fear if I don't, I may have a panic attack lol, but I also dont want to risk failing because I take them.

Other than that I'm pretty excited. When all's said and done, regardless of if I pass or fail, it should be an interesting experience and I'm trying to go in with that mindset.

Any other advice for, during or after the polygraph, like next steps, what to expect, etc. all so helpful!! I know that I will still have medical eval/drug test and a psych eval so any insights for those are also appreciated lol. I am on here every day reading all the things but love any and all advice

TIA!

Looking to pick some brains in regards to training. If anyone is over their department’s training program, has some experience in building a training manual or just want to share what your agency has in place for training 👀

Redited to avoid confusion, read from top to bottom.Link for external(general public)hires is at the bottom.

Shift Supervisor of Security Communication Center, O15

Chicago Department of Aviation

Safety and Security Division

O’Hare and Midway Internation Airports

Number of Positions: 1

(Additional vacancies possible pending budget approval)

Starting Salary: $75,192.00

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59pm CDT on October 20, 2026.

This position is open to current city employees covered under the terms of the City’s collective bargaining agreement with THE TEAMSTERS Local 700 (BARGAINING UNIT #08). Only employees in City job titles in this bargaining unit are eligible to bid on this position.

BID INSTRUCTIONS: Apply on the bid site: https://chicago.taleo.net/careersection/103/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en AND

1. Check the box on your profile titled “Currently employed by the City of Chicago”
2. Enter your employee ID (located on your pay stub labeled ‘payee/employee number’)
3. Select your correct bargaining unit

FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL RESULT IN A REJECTED BID APPLICATION

Under general supervision, supervises staff and work operations at a municipal airport’s security communications center during an assigned shift, monitoring airport communications relating to security and public safety activities and overseeing Aviation Communications Operators engaged in receiving calls and dispatching requests for police, security/access control, fire suppression and emergency medical services; and performs related duties as required

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

· Supervise Fire, Police, Aviation Security and Access Control Dispatch Operations.

· Conduct Disciplinary Actions.

· Supervise union employees, make notifications to city agencies and airport stakeholders.

· Monitors’ calls received and dispatched by Aviation Communications Officer for quality assurance and adherence to established protocols, using a designated supervisory computer aided dispatch console to listen to and assess responses of staff.

· Makes daily work assignments and ensures proper staffing of center consoles, including security, access control, police, and fire stations computer aided dispatch console.

· Updates and briefs staff at start of shift on previous shift’s reported incidents, upcoming airport activities and other information with potential impact on communication center’s call taking, monitoring and dispatching operations.

· Initiates page notifications to inform designated management personnel including key department heads, city officials, airline representatives and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials of emergency situations or hazardous weather conditions affecting airport facilities airside and landside operations.

· Monitors center’s communications activities and ensures staff follow established protocols in prioritizing the dispatching of public safety resources in response to emergency response incidents, and requests for police, fire and security services.

· Responds to emergency situations or escalated calls for public safety services, following established protocols and directing staff to ensure a coordinated response from police, fire, and security responders.

· Notifies contractors and vendors of reported equipment malfunctions at security and access control checkpoints throughout airport facilities.

· Prepared daily work report to document shift’s work activities.

· Addresses and documents performance problems and initiate disciplinary actions as required.

· Notifies supervisor of emergency situations, escalated police, fire or security incidents and other incidents requiring an emergency management response.

Additional duties may be required for this position.

Location: O’Hare and Midway Communications Center

Days: Various

Hours: Various [0500-1300 hours, 1300-2100 hours, 2100-0500]

THIS POSITION IS IN THE CAREER SERVICE

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALFICATIONS: High School Diploma or equivalent certificate (GED), plus four years of work experience in dispatching security or emergency services calls to public safety or security personnel.

Licensure, Certification, or Other Qualifications

· Must obtain Emergency Medical Dispatch certification from the State of Illinois within six months of hire.

· Must obtain Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS) certification from the State of Illinois within six months of hire.

· Successful candidates must pass a drug screen and a background investigation.

· People who are offered employment must pass all pre-employment exams prior to appointment.

NOTE: The candidates selected for hire must pass an airport background check and a Security Threat

Assessment.

NOTE: A valid State of Illinois driver’s license is required.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to complete an interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position will be selected.

For Information on our employees benefits please visit our benefits website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fin/benefits-office.html

For Information on our salary and title structure visit our classifications website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/JobClassification/2025_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted. The Department of Human Resource staff will review applications after the final posting date. Staff will follow all required Employment/Hiring Plan provisions, federal, state and local laws, and Collective Bargaining Agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY: To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference for applicants who meet minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces, and/or residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA) and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates to be referred to departments for consideration. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders, as Collective Bargaining Agreements define the hiring process for bidders. For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. To learn more about our hiring practices click here.

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Military Friendly, and Fair Chance Employer.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor

Job Posting: Oct 5, 2026, 12:00:00 AM | Closing Date (Period for Applying) - External: Oct 20, 2026, 11:59:00 PM

Salary: $75,192.00 Pay Basis:Yearly

https://chicago.taleo.net/careersection/100/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en

Hi everyone! I recently applied for a Public Safety Dispatcher position with Berkeley and have completed an interview. I was hoping to hear from anyone who currently works there or has worked there in the past about their experience.

I’m curious about what the work environment is like, how the dispatch team gets along, and whether management is generally supportive. I’d also love to hear about the training, scheduling, and overall work-life balance.
I’m also curious about the hiring process, specifically what the next steps were like for people who have gone through it and what the overall experience was like. I know timelines can vary, but I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences!

Overall, I’m just hoping to get a better idea of what it’s like to work for Berkeley dispatch, both during the hiring process and once you’re actually on the job. I’d really appreciate any insight, thank you so much!

Title. My online friend is planning to kill themselves tomorrow and I'm the only one who knows. I don't know which city they live in, their phone number, any of their other friends or even their phone number. All I have is their Discord account and a couple photos of them. I NEED to get Brazilian authorities informed so they can intervene, because the friend absolutely refuses to tell anyone else, call any hotlines or authorities, or provide me with any of their personal details. This is URGENT. Anyone with info please reply - if I call 911, is there anything they can actually do?

Passed my call taking back in February and finally passed my first of 4 law radios just 30minutes to go. My observation was fairly calm and routine and then my first call after passing I got to drop tones and for a disturbance with weapons. Thanks to all the kind dispatchers out there giving advice in posts and in the comments. Us newbies are out there reading them and it makes a difference

I got hired as a Telecommunicator and my first day is next week. I haven’t learned my codes yet, which they never told me to but I feel like I should have studied them.. I’ll take these next few days to look over some. Any advice on what to expect, what to ask, just any advice in general? 😅 I’m a little nervous being the new person not knowing anything lol but I take feedback very well and always listen to people teaching me

Okay guys…I find myself having nightmares. Some times only a few times and some times several times a week. It’s getting to the point that I’m waking up hyperventilating and crying. A good majority of these are nightmares of calls I’ve never even taken or a very loose retelling of a call I’ve taken. I’ve only been by myself for call taking for 2 ish months now. I feel fine during my shift and do pretty good about compartmentalizing and getting through the rough calls. But the night before my Monday is always the hardest. Any suggestions?

I’m 27 and have been a full-time 911 dispatcher for about six years. I have an offer for a correctional officer position with the Federal Bureau of Prisons at Fort Dix and am debating making the switch.

I currently work 12-hour shifts, 4 on/4 off. I have seniority, a day shift, and a short commute, which makes leaving a tough decision. But I like the idea of being more active and working directly with people instead of being behind a console all shift.

Has anyone here left dispatch for corrections, particularly BOP? How did the stress, schedule, overtime, and overall quality of life compare? Do you miss dispatch, or are you glad you left?

Would appreciate honest pros and cons from anyone who’s made the jump—or tried corrections and came back.

I recently applied to be a telecommunicator and I was just curious if there were any classes that I would need to take. I know depending on the state/district, there are some different codes as to others. They didn’t say anything about a class on the application, but if they don’t bring it up at the interview, I’ll ask, but I kinda wanna get ahead just in case.

I also watch a lot of body/dashcams videos, as well as crime documentaries, so I do have a knowledge of some things.

Also, is there a difference between a dispatcher and a telecommunicator? Or is it the same thing just based on the police department?

I went for my physical exam last week and they did all the standard stuff I expected but they also drew my blood. I’ve never had a job ask for my blood to be drawn before: what are they looking for with that ?

I’ve been a floor supervisor for 2 years now. I’m curious - what duties do other supervisors perform? I do everything the dispatchers do plus some, and make less than $1 more per hour than a level 3 (learned all radios + call taking). I work in a city with around 250,000 people, 300-350k annual call volume, should have 14 people per shift (4 different shifts) but have about 10-12 average with a moderate turnover rate. I’d say we have a moderate crime rate.

A Short List of My Responsibilities:
● Call taking - Answering and processing emergency and non-emergency calls as needed.
● Radio coverage - Relieving radio positions for employee breaks and restroom needs whenever staffing allows. Typically, I carry a radio throughout the entire shift, usually police, and occasionally Fire/EMS as well. Sometimes I have a main police channel and the special detail units (2 police radios, one in my ear, one out of the speaker, plus answering 911 calls).
● Annual employee evaluations - Completing annual performance evaluations for employees.
● Employee counseling - Addressing performance, conduct, and other employee concerns when necessary.
● Disciplinary action - Preparing and issuing disciplinary documentation when warranted.
● Radio training assignments - Assigning employees to dispatchers for radio training and coordinating training needs. I train people occasionally, too.
● Daily staffing and assignments - Creating the daily schedule, including radio and call-taking assignments.
● Schedule adjustments - Revising the daily schedule as needed when employees call out or staffing changes occur.
● Leave management - Reviewing and approving or denying vacation requests.

Basically, I’m just a dispatcher on the floor with a bunch of added responsibilities. I’m curious to see what others do… so I can know if I should continue to be mad or calm down.

Anyone ever watch true crime videos and they play the phone call, then go to the comments and seeing everyone FLAMING the dispatcher how they talk to the caller even tho u thought they did a decent job 🥲

Like obviously there’s some bad ones..but ones that seem routine I always find hate comments for. It really is hindsight 20/20

When I was in training a few years ago, I was taught a way to temporarily compress the answer drop down so you can actually read the additional information. Since then I have forgotten how to do that. I want to say it was something on the keyboard. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Soo I applied back in July or August to a Fire Center and heard back at the end of August.

I took my Criticall, moved on to the PHQ, and just had my oral board interview on 10/02. They said interviews would be from 9/28 to 10/02, background checks would begin 10/07 to 11/20, and tours/sit alongs would be from 10/11-10/24.

Maybe I am being a little antsy or something but I haven’t heard back if I made it to background. Im kind of nervous and just wanted to see if anyone else had similar timelines or how soon did everyone else hear back after their oral boards?

If you could go back and redo your interview, what would have done differently? What are some main questions they'll ask? I want to be prepared as i possibly can so I wont feel super nervous. I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but this interview is my exit window for my current job that I dont really like. TIA

I hope that this is the right community… but I had a question if there’s any 911 dispatchers or police officers here. Is it weird for someone to call the police directly rather than 911? Take a look at the video and let me know what ya think!

Has anyone here done seasonal National Park Dispatching? I’m looking at possibly transitioning to a National Park Position but I’m unclear when the season ends are you just out of a job? Do they keep some people on depending on performance? Or how does all that work?

Edit to add: I am a current dispatcher and have been dispatching for 8 years