emergency communications operator
If you’re eager to serve your community but believe that a career as a police officer isn’t the right fit for you, consider a role as an Emergency Communications Operator (ECO). ECOs play a crucial role as the first point of contact for individuals seeking public safety assistance. We are dedicated to ensuring the efficient and effective coordination of police officers, firefighters, and medical first responders to the locations where their assistance is required.
Pay
| Yearly | Hourly | Yearly | Hourly | Yearly | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Step | 2022 | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 |
| 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | |
| Dispatch ECO – (Start/Calltaker-LElN) | $46,933 | $22.56 | $48,340 | $23.24 | $49,307 | $23.71 |
| STEP A – After 6 months | $49,749 | $23.92 | $51,241 | $24.64 | $52,266 | $25.13 |
| STEP B – After 1 Year Probation | $51,571 | $24.79 | $53,118 | $25.54 | $54,180 | $26.05 |
| STEP C-After 2 Years | $53,460 | $25.70 | $55,064 | $26.47 | $56,165 | $27.00 |
| STEP D – After 3 Years | $55,590 | $26.73 | $57,258 | $27.53 | $58,403 | $28.08 |
| STEP E -After 4 Years | $57,583 | $27.69 | $59,311 | $28.51 | $60,497 | $29.09 |
| STEP F -After 5 Years | $59,816 | $28.76 | $61,611 | $29.62 | $62,843 | $30.21 |
| Yearly | Hourly | Yearly | Hourly | Yearly | Hourly | |
| Pay Step | 2022 | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 |
| 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | |
| Dispatch ECO 1 1 – (Start/Police Dispatcher) | $50,658 | $24.35 | $52,178 | $25.09 | $53,221 | $25.59 |
| STEP A – After 6 months | $53,192 | $25.57 | $54,788 | $26.34 | $55,884 | $26.87 |
| STEP B – After 1 Year Probation | $55,851 | $26.85 | $57,526 | $27.66 | $58,677 | $28.21 |
| STEP C-After 2 Years | $58,645 | $28.19 | $60,404 | $29.04 | $61,612 | $29.62 |
| STEP D – After 3 Years | $61,576 | $29.60 | $63,423 | $30.49 | $64,692 | $31.10 |
| STEP E – After 4 Years | $64,654 | $31.08 | $66,594 | $32.02 | $67,926 | $32.66 |
| STEP F – After 5 Years | $67,888 | $32.64 | $69,925 | $33.62 | $71,323 | $34.29 |
Emergency Communications Operator (ECO) position is
full time, hourly basis
- Any additional hours outside your normal scheduled time are considered overtime
- Work (3) 12 hour shifts and (1) 6 hour shift weekly, 2 hours of overtime
- Days (6:00 am – 6:00 pm)
- Nights (6:00 pm – 6:00 am)
- Two week schedule rotation allows for every other weekend off
Overtime
- Recorded as time and a half
- Can be taken as pay or comp time (subject to approval)
- Numerous opportunities for voluntary overtime, in
addition to mandatory overtime
Benefits
Retirement
- Defined Contribution Plan
- 6% employee contribution, 6% employer match
- ICMA 457 plan option
- 5 year vesting for employer contributions
Insurance
- Health/Vision/Dental/Life (Optional)
Vacation Time
- 16 hours after 6 months
- 8 hours accrued per month, credited to vacation balance each January
- 8 additional hours accrued each year for years 5-19 (maximum 216 hours)
- 11 paid holidays
Sick Time
- 8 hours of sick time accrued for each month of service
- Unlimited sick leave carryover
- Sick leave conversion to personal leave available once 50 hours are accrued
Maternity/Paternity Leave
- 1 day without charge to sick leave for childbirth
- Up to 40 hours of paid parental leave
- Does not count against vacation time or sick time
Training
- 2 week dispatch academy training
- Comprehensive in-house training
- Paid training to meet State 911 Committee (SNC) telecommunicator training standards
- Up to 11 weeks of on the job training for each of 4 segments (Calltaker, LEIN, Police Dispatch, Fire Dispatch)
- Shadow and burn-in period following completion of each segment.
- Average 18-24 months to complete first 3 training segments and move to ECO2 pay scale
Requirements
- Must have a high school diploma or GED
- Possess good moral character
- Possess good reading, writing, and typing skills
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Possess a valid driver’s license
Job Description
- Answer emergency and non-emergency calls for service
- Enter information into a computer aided dispatch (CAD) program, to be relayed to dispatchers and first responders
- Assess the location, nature, and severity of the incidents and dispatching police/fire/medical personnel with an eyeon first responder safety at all times
- Ask targeted questions, such as to determine the type of help needed, howsevere and/or potentially dangerous the situation is, and what level of response is needed
- Need to be able to keep callers on the linecalm and safe, in order to monitor situationsand update first responders, as necessary
- Provide critical public safety information tofirst responders from various secure databases
- Use CAD to assign incidents to specific units, accompanied by a radio broadcast that briefly summarizes the nature of the incident, the units responding, and any directly pertinent, or time-sensitive, information that ought to be conveyed before first responders arrive on the scene
- Use various secure databases to performavariety of tasks for persons throughout the police and fire departments
- Available to work nights, weekends, and holidays
Hiring Process
- Apply online: Click Here
- Civil Service Exam and Job Specific Testing
- Complete and submit Personal History Statement within 14 days of receiving
- Background Pre-screen
- Oral Board Interview
- Backgrounds Assigned
- Background Investigation and Interview Completed
- Final Oral Board Interview with Dispatch Personnel
- Recommendations for Hire
- Conditional Offer of Employment
CRIME SCENE TECHNICIAN
Forensics is a very challenging field. Your presence is only, and always, asked for in response to a criminal act. You must remain objective, thorough, and meticulous in your search for evidence. There is nothing more rewarding than when the perpetrator’s identity is revealed, as a result of your work.
Pay
| Yearly | Hourly | Yearly | Hourly | Yearly | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Step | 2022 | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 |
| 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | |
| FORENSIC RECRUIT - In House Training | $55,566 | $26.71 | $57,233 | $27.52 | $58,377 | $28.07 |
| STEP A - After 6 Months | $58,685 | $28.21 | $60,446 | $29.06 | $61,655 | $29.64 |
| STEP B - After 1 Year Probation | $61,117 | $29.38 | $62,951 | $30.26 | $64,210 | $30.87 |
| STEP C - After 2 Years | $63,652 | $30.60 | $65,561 | $31.52 | $66,872 | $32.15 |
| STEP D - After 3 Years | $66,289 | $31.87 | $68,278 | $32.83 | $69,643 | $33.48 |
| STEP E - After 4 Years | $69,041 | $33.19 | $71,112 | $34.19 | $72,535 | $34.87 |
| STEP F - After 5 Years | $71,904 | $34.57 | $74,061 | $35.61 | $75,543 | $36.32 |
Crime Scene Technicians (CSTs) work on a hourly basis
- Any additional hours outside your normal scheduled time are considered overtime
- CSTs work 10 hour shifts
- 1st Shift (7:30 am – 5:30 pm)
- 2nd Shift (5:00 pm – 3:00 am)
- 3rd Shift (10:00 pm – 8:00 am)
- There are two Latent Print Examiners who
are also assigned to this unit; this is a
promotional position that works during the
day (in four 10 hour shifts)
Overtime
- Recorded as time and a half
- Can be taken as pay or comp time
- Available opportunities for overtime
Training
- Numerous opportunities for additional training
- 12 week field training program
- 4 weeks with each shift
- Probation is one year
- Various refresher and new courses offered
throughout year
Benefits
Retirement
- Defined Contribution Plan
- Employer Contribution of 6.0%
- Employee Contribution of 6.0%
- ICMA 457 plan option
Insurance
- Health/Vision/Dental/Life (Optional)
Vacation Time
- Start with 80 hours of vacation
- 8 hours accrued for each year, thereafter
(maximum of 200 hours)
Up to 320 hours can carry over from year to year
- 12 paid holidays
Sick Time
- 8 hours of sick time are awarded for each month of service
- An unlimited amount can carry over
Maternity/Paternity Leave
- Up to 80 hours of paid leave
- Does not count against vacation time or sick time
Requirements
- Must have a bachelors degree in a hard science (biology, chemistry, etc) or a related field, such as criminal justice
- Must possess a combination of education, training, and experience related to the forensics field
- Possess good moral character
- Possess good reading and writing skills
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Possess a valid driver’s license
Job Description
- Respond to crime scenes and process them for evidence
- Write reports documenting actions taken related to scenes and incidents
- Collect evidence pertinent to the incident or crime committed
- Photograph and document crime scenes
- Analyze evidence
- Hand sketch and measure crime scenes
- Recreate crime scenes, in a computer aided design program, for presentation purposes
- Create computer sketches of suspects
- Testify as an expert witness in court
- Attend, and document, autopsies related to crimes in the city of Grand Rapids
- Available to work nights, weekends, and holidays
Hiring Process
- When positions are open, apply online here.
- Civil Service Exam and Job Specific Testing (ranked based on score)
- Complete and submit Personal History Statement within 14 days of receiving
- Background Pre-screen
- Background Assigned
- Background Investigation and Interview Completed
- Final Oral Board Interview with Forensic Personnel (ranked based on score)
- Recommendations for Hire
- Conditional Offer of Employment
other professional staff
We employ many other professional support staff members. If you would like to join the GRPD, check out the many positions we have to offer, by looking at the City of Grand Rapids website!
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