What does a Communications Clerk do?
A typical day may start with routine requests by officers for computer data relating to driver's license and vehicle registrations. You will receive calls from citizens and other agencies requesting information, reporting emergency and non-emergency incidents. You will initiate the response of Police, Fire, EMS, and/or other City services to routine or emergency incidents. In addition, you will conduct a variety of computer system transactions, which gather or distribute critical information to other employees and other agencies across the Region.
Calls for service received may range from but are not limited to:
- Next of kin notification
- Officer log on/off
- Collisions
- Robbery
- Attempted homicide
- Internet harassment
The Ottawa Police Communications Clerk position involves mandatory training in all three positions: 9-1-1, Call Taker and Dispatch. The successful candidate will remain through the training process and complete all three positions successfully.
A Dispatcher is responsible for public safety dispatch functions on a twenty-four-hour basis, 365 days per year. The number and type of phone and/or radio calls received at any given time cannot be adequately predicted. The job requires simultaneous activation of several response procedures including monitoring and recording multiple response unit activities at single or multiple locations.
