San Diego City Wire

In a recent initiative by the San Diego Sheriff's Office, high school students were introduced to the career of emergency dispatching through the Responder Ready Public Safety Communications Academy. This 12-week program was designed to provide students with insight into this vital civilian role within law enforcement.

Jeff Hebert, a Communications Coordinator at the San Diego Sheriff's Office, described the job as both challenging and rewarding. With three decades of experience in dispatching, Hebert shared his passion for the profession and his role in managing operations at the communications center.

The academy's first session concluded on February 1st with 19 students graduating. Among them was Sage Sekerke from San Marcos, who expressed her newfound interest in becoming a dispatcher after attending the program. "I’m applying as soon as I turn 18 and graduate high school," she said.

The curriculum covered professionalism, ethics, job search strategies, interview skills, critical thinking, decision-making skills, phone procedures for taking calls, and radio dispatch techniques. Students also gained hands-on experience using a computer-aided dispatch system simulator and observed real-life dispatchers in action.

Hebert noted that graduates must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma or equivalent to apply for dispatcher positions. He mentioned that one graduate had already submitted an application immediately after completing the academy.

For more information about careers as Sheriff emergency dispatchers or future academy sessions, interested individuals can visit the Sheriff's Office page online.