Dispatch

[vans113]

Hello all! I recently applied for my local dispatch! I passed the typing test and now I got called in a few days later for more "test" at the actual police department. Does anybody have an idea what tests could be in store for me?


Sent from my iPhone5 using Tapatalk

[mmckenna]

I know one of the tests they often do is to have you listen to recordings that toss a lot of radio traffic at you. Mixed in there will be high priority traffic and low priority traffic. You will need to filter out the extraneous stuff and keep focused on the high priority/emergency traffic. They won't give you any prep, it's about how your brain works and how you process what you hear. My wife did it many years ago.
Imagine having to listen to several telephone calls at once and weed out the important bits.... She said it wasn't easy.

Be ready for stressful stuff.

Good luck to you!

[N2PYS]

yeah you have to be listening to an old woman who's basement is flooding a guy who's newspaper has been stolen an officer going on break the fire department responding to a structure fire and in the midst of all that hear an out of breath officer call 10-69 4 which means he's being attacked by 4 people and needs backup like yesterday because he is going to have to start shooting people any second because he is worn out from defending himself his weapon and trying to keep the 4 people from damage each other, so your mind has to be "quick on it's feet " so to speak= its a good job and the pay can be excellent and there is room for promotion a lot of places its civil service so you really have to screw up bad in order to lose the job so good luck and i hope you get the job!

[szron]

Uhh boy
That's what I want to do in the future.

How hard was the typing tests? I can pull a solid 70-80WPM but there will be a mistake every now and then. And that's on a good mechanical keyboard.

[W8RMH]

Hello all! I recently applied for my local dispatch! I passed the typing test and now I got called in a few days later for more "test" at the actual police department. Does anybody have an idea what tests could be in store for me?

Not to scare you but could any of those test be part of the background check, like a polygraph, or does that come later. I would think they would have mentioned that already.

vans113 on the other tests I think you will do fine....relax, take a deep breath....just like listening to your scanner. Actually you probably have an advantage over most of the other applicants. If you do as well as you have done here at RR you will probably be at the top of the list.

[W8RMH]

Originally Posted by szron

Uhh boy
That's what I want to do in the future.

How hard was the typing tests? I can pull a solid 70-80WPM but there will be a mistake every now and then. And that's on a good mechanical keyboard.

I think most only require around 35 - 45 WPM. My old man was a clerk in WWII and could type 90 WPM on an old manual typewriter and I'm lucky to hit 20 on a computer :/

[vans113]

As far as listening to traffic I should pass that easy i listen to a edacs provoice system i can not trunk track and i keep up with traffic for my whole city lol while listening to another scanner sometimes. As for the typing test the required was 40 wpm. They made me pass that before I even got the paperwork for the city. I do have some minor charges that I hope don't hurt me : / no drugs or anything like that though, but they are on my record. I'll be sure to keep you all posted monday when everything happens also i forgot to add I have to go to my local police department hq and go to the basement? She told me Somebody has to let me down there, because you have to have a key to get on the elevator so it must be some secret test lol

[mmckenna]

Originally Posted by W8RMH

Not to scare you but could any of those test be part of the background check, like a polygraph, or does that come later. I would think they would have mentioned that already.

Yep, background check will be one of the hoops to jump through. I had to have that done just to be inside our dispatch center to work on their equipment. I don't have anything on my record, so I wasn't concerned. Not sure how tough they will be on an actual dispatcher. For me the answer was "as long as your picture has never been up in a post office.....".

[vans113]

Lol well I've never had myself on the wall so I should be good It would have been better if the lady told me what kind of test she was talking about.

[KB1UAM]

Originally Posted by W8RMH

Not to scare you but could any of those test be part of the background check, like a polygraph, or does that come later. I would think they would have mentioned that already.

vans113 on the other tests I think you will do fine....relax, take a deep breath....just like listening to your scanner. Actually you probably have an advantage over most of the other applicants. If you do as well as you have done here at RR you will probably be at the top of the list.

I think polygraphs are illegal no? Someone correct me if Im wrkng. they may have you look at the black blobs however????

[mmckenna]

I think Polygraphs only work if they are asking specific questions. Likely they will just be doing some background checks. Those are much easier, cheaper, and more reliable.

[vans113]

Well I don't think they would call me in to do a "background check" i have no clue honestly.

[mmckenna]

Likely they want to start the interview process, see if it's worth their time putting you through the testing process.

[vans113]

I'm thinking it's something like that, but she didn't say it was an interview or anything or i was meeting with anybody. She just told me Tests I have a friends mom who also works for our dispatch her I'm gonna make her ask her mom lol. Maybe then I'll find out. I'm really nervous about it honestly.

[N2PYS]

Polygraphs are not legal in court,but are still routinely used as a screening tool against certain types of employees, such as those who will be dealing with large amounts of basically untraceable large sums of cash, intelligence operatives,some getting high levels of security clearance ,Jobs where they may encounter Federal Witness Protection Identification Relocation information(as in who they where/who they are now). You would be surprised at the amount of polygraph's going on i mean the FBI still teaches and Certifies New Polygraph Administrators and has the big clunky machine with that huge roll of paper down to a netbook and a couple of cables in a briefcase so they can rake you over the coals anywhere there is a chair.

[asurnin]

Polygraphs are not admissible in court most of the times. However, polygraph tests are legal. Up here they can only use polygraph in hiring processes for certain positions (i.e. law enforcement). Because this test comes after a thorough background check, it is just used as a verifying tool that you have nothing else to hide. Don't lie or hide anything during your background investigation. Being truthful about some misdoings will take you much further than if you attempt to hide stuff and they find out. With that, you won't have to worry about inconclusive poly results.

[vans113]

yeah I always tell them about my past, but my test is being done basically in a place where certain people only have access too so i have no clue I guess all i can do is wait and see.

[szron]

Dispatchers deal with some sensitive data but I don't think that most agencies would go through a polygraph.

But if they would admit it for some reason the procedure of the test requires them to tell you the questions in advance. That's how the test works. Just so you know.

[russellmaher]

Hey vans113:

Good for you and best of luck. A very interesting job, for sure.


Russell

[vans113]

Thanks guys! It also might be a general compensation test also. =0 We'll see!