Policy Text
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COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING MANUAL 1
COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING
MANUAL
Revised December 2019
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COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING MANUAL 2 WELCOME !
Welcome to the Tustin Police Department's Communications Team. Your
training will be a demanding, yet rewarding time in your career. During the next
several mon ths you will learn how important your role will be in the successful
operation of the department. You will be the first contact many citizens have with
the Police Department. It will be vital to good public relations that you project an
image of professi onalism and competence. You will be amazed at the vast
amount of knowledge your Trainer has to share with you. Your training program
is structured into f our phases. These phases coincide with the positions held by
the d ispatchers within the communications center. You will rotate between
trainers approximately every four -weeks as you advance through the training
process .
The first phase will be the Orientation phase. During the first week of this
training phase you wil l spend time touring the facility, and going on a series of
ride-a-longs. You will ride with Patrol Personnel for a tour of the city; its common
places and boundaries. You will also meet with the Communications Supervisor
for a discussion about how our t raining program operates; explanations of daily
evaluations, and the use of your training manuals. The second week will cover
an introduction to the Communications Center, familiarization with various
systems utilized in the course of your job. This includes, but is not limited to, the
Hirsch Velocity security system, 9 -1-1 equipment, and PC based Centracom
radio. You will learn the basic structure of the agency including chain of
command, the primary function and responsibilities, duties, and limitations of the
various bureaus and details.
Phase two of training covers primary call taking. During this time you will learn
interviewing techniques necessary for obtaining pertinent information and how to
screen and prioritize incoming calls for service. In many cases this is the only
contact the citizens will have with the Police Department. Courteous and efficient
communication is imperative to ensuring good community relations. During this
phase you will also be introduced to the CLETS (California Law E nforcement
Telecommunications System) database, and begin learning how to make queries
into the various programs available. At the conclusion of this phase of training, a
one week evaluation period will be used to assess your abilities, and insure you
are able to operate at a satisfactory level in the secondary dispatch position.
In phase three , you will become the primary radio dispatcher, learning to
dispatch, update, and complete calls for service. You will be the link between
the Police Officer in th e field and the citizens of Tustin. During this phase you
will be responsible for making critical decisions that can affect the safety of many
people. This can be a stressful, yet highly rewarding time for you. Your ability to
be multi -task oriented wil l become very critical during this phase of training, as
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COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING MANUAL 3 you will be required to incorporate the secondary dispatch skills you’ve learned to
the primary dispatcher responsibilities.
Phase four will be the evaluation period. During this time you will be evaluated
on your knowledge and ability to perform as an independent dispatcher. You will
be rated on your retention of all the information given you during your training
period. To complete this phase you must be able to assume the position of a
working dispatcher. At times, you will be required to perform as the only person
in dispatch, executing emergency and non -emergency calls.
Keep in mind that the training program is designed to benefit you. The amount
of knowledge you gain is directly related to the amount of energy you put into the
program. It is imperative that you report to work every day, alert and ready to
learn. We are here to help you become a vital member of the communications
team.
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COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING MANUAL 4 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The term "Public Safety Dispatcher" perhaps more appropriately describes
today's professional whose skills combine those of a radio dispatcher, telephone
call-taker, and computer specialist.
The goal is improved public safety by increasing communication accur acy and
decreasing response time. That goal very much involves you.
Welcome to the world of Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD). If you have not
previously used a CAD system, you will be introduced to the most mo dern
method of public safety dispatching. Although it can appear intimidating, it is a
user-friendly system. You can't break the computer by pressing the wrong
button, and if you do make a mistake, it can be fixed. You will find the CAD to be
faster, mo re exact, and much easier to use than manual dispatching.
The CAD system affords all terminal users quick access to a myriad of computer
listed files. Users can also query the status of all units and calls from any
terminal in the system. One can also v iew and/or print out a history of any
incident in chronological order. What used to take hours of handwriting and
typing now only takes seconds to note and the computer stores the data.
The term " call-taker" refers to the indi vidual who receives the call from the
reporting party and obtains enough information for the proper utilization