Behind the Badge
The sign affixed to the dispatchers’ door at the Westminster Police Department reads, “The safety of 100,000 people and 130 employees begins in this room. They’re in good hands.”
Those good hands — the men and women of the police dispatcher team, whose chair-bound jobs from department headquarters play a crucial role to all personnel and people out in the field — are looking for a few more to join their ranks.
On Aug. 15, Westminster hosted its first-ever police Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet information session as part of a recruitment effort to bring in three new dispatchers. The full-time jobs are rewarding, demanding, stressful, essential, difficult — you name it, Chief Darin Lenyi told a room of about 15 interested applicants.
Westminster police hope the information session will provide the nitty-gritty, crucial details of what the dispatcher job entails and what it would require.
Westminster Police Dispatch Supervisor, Kristen Kannard, center right, and Dispatcher Krista Gonsalves, center left, talk with prospective applicants during a Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Equipment-wise, a dispatcher must simultaneously master a massive arsenal of electronics: seven monitors with different information, four mice, multiple keyboards, phone lines, a headset, and a radio system.
Skills-wise, they need good communication, fast typing, good note-taking, attentive listening, and the ability to multitask. Emotionally, one must handle the pressure.
To that point, Lenyi didn’t mince words illustrating the demanding nature of the job. Dispatchers, who are truly the “first first responders,” are usually the public’s initial point of contact for police. Sometimes they might be the last person someone speaks to before death. Whatever the case, they can’t slack off when people need help. “We’re on the way,” are words they say often.
“You are the lifeline,” Lenyi told the applicants. “It has to be you.”
Westminster Police Chief Darin Lenyi talks about what to expect as a police dispatcher during a Meet-and-Greet event. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Once the three vacancies are filled, Westminster Police Department will have a dispatch staff of 14 personnel, who collectively work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They handle 130,000 calls annually for more than 90,000 events big and small.
“We’re looking for career-minded partners, because it’s more than just a job,” said Dispatch Supervisor Kristen Kannard, a 19-year department veteran. “It’s more than just helping people. It really is a passion.”
Police personnel joked that one perk of the job is, “telling cops where to go.”
“If you’re inquisitive and like asking questions, that’s definitely another perk,” Kannard said. “We want someone with critical thinking skills. It’s real world, life and death.”
Background Investigations Officer Rachel Jackson, right, gives information to a potential applicant at the Westminster Police Department’s first Meet-and-Greet event. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Dispatchers are considered non-sworn personnel but are classified as sworn civilians. They are members of the Westminster police union.
They don’t have to endure the same physical training as officers, but they undergo their own methods of training that can take as long as nine months. The multi-month recruitment process is similar to that of the officers.
Applicants must be 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and have a high school diploma. Bonus pay is given for being multilingual — in Westminster, knowing Vietnamese and Spanish are a plus — and having an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
Westminster Police Dispatchers Krista Gonsalves, left, and Emily Cornelius answer questions from prospective applicants for the three dispatcher positions that the police department is looking to fill in Westminster. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Pay starts at $27 an hour and includes health benefits, pension, tuition reimbursement, vacation days, holiday pay, and sick pay. Shifts are usually 12 hours (nights or days) on a rotating system. The department is offering a $10,000 hiring bonus for lateral dispatchers.
Dispatcher applications are due Aug. 22. Applications can be found at governmentjobs.com and through the Westminster Police Department website.
Westminster Police Supervisor Kristen Kannard, left, talks with a prospective applicant during the Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event in Westminster. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Westminster Police Commander Alan Iwashita, right, talks with prospective applicants at the Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Westminster Police Dispatcher Melorie Gradilla, left, talks to prospective applicants about what it’s like working as a dispatcher in Westminster. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Westminster Police Chief Darin Lenyi, left, pulls a raffle ticket from a cup held by Background Investigations Officer Rachel Jackson at the Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Westminster Police Officer Steven Vo, left, conducts a tour of police headquarters for a group of prospective dispatcher applicants. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Westminster Police Dispatch Supervisor Kristen Kannard, right, waits to answer questions from prospective applicants for three open dispatcher positions . Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Prospective applicants listen during the Westminster Police Department’s informational Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Westminster Police Dispatchers Krista Gonsalves, left, and Emily Cornelius answer questions from prospective applicants for three dispatcher positions that the police department. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Prospective applicants listen during the Westminster Police Department’s Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event in Westminster. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge 
An informational video is presented for prospective applicants at the Westminster Police Department’s Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Rachel Jackson, left, background investigations officer for the Westminster Police Department, talks with some dispatcher applicants as they wait for the Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event to get started in Westminster. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
Prospective applicants arrive for the Westiminster Police Department’s Dispatcher Meet-and-Greet event in Westminster. Photo by Paul Rodriguez/ for Behind the Badge
