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would it help me to start my career in office admin while wanting to be a police dispatcher?

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Dana’s Answer

As a former 911 dispatcher and someone who worked in the law enforcement field, I feel fairly qualified to answer this question. While it's nice to have some transferable skills to bring to a dispatch position, it's not entirely necessary. A few things you'll need to be able to do are type (usually about 35 wpm), take direction, and follow protocol.

Most law enforcement agencies and dispatch centers have a training program that you'll go through so you'll learn everything you need to know to do the job. Also, after completion of the in-class training program, there is on-the-job training. They don't just sit you at a console to start taking calls once you've completed the in-class training. It's a process - sometimes up to a year, depending on the department. You are usually assigned a trainer/training officer who is responsible for your on-the-job training.

Short answer - you don't need to do an office job first. As long as you can type fairly accurately, and pass through the hiring and background process, you're good to go (as long as you meet the age requirement, which is usually 18).
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Liann’s Answer

Hello,

MY advice would be to build up your resume with as much experience as you possibly can. Often times your previous jobs do not have to be in the exact same field in order to be relevant. For example, If you have to learn how to add notes to a person's profile in the office admin job, this could also be a useful skill you have gained when you need to fill out a report as a police dispatcher. It will also show that you can follow instructions, show up on time, have a positive attitude, learn new skills in general and other "transferable skills". So I would highly recommend doing more research on transferable skills and practicing behavioral interview questions to see how an office admin job could help you become a police dispatcher later on!

Thank you comment icon Thank you so much Ms. Liann . I will take this into consideration. This means so much Katia
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Ryan’s Answer

Two major areas that dispatchers have to excel in is typing speed and communication through a radio. Practicing your typing speed through this admin job could be prove to be beneficial, but there are plenty of online games that can help improve your typing speed as well. As for the radio, do a quick YouTube search to try and understand what radio transmissions actually sound like. At the of the day, most office administration jobs will put you in a position to hone in on your typing speed and give you a leg up in a dispatch center. Good luck!
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