9-1-1 Citizen's Academy to be offered in March

The next 9-1-1 Citizen’s Academy is to be held

 on March 28, 2015 

Completed applications should be turned in

 by Friday, March 20th

The 9-1-1 Citizen’s Academy is a training opportunity for persons interested in a public safety dispatching career or community minded people who live or work in King County. 

Topics to be covered

1. The History of 9-1-1: 9-1-1 wasn’t always available. Find out when and where the first call was made, and how systems have improved to date.
2. Call Taking: Learn how 9-1-1 calls are directed to the Center and what happens with a call from the time it's answered to the deputies’ arrival. Understand why we ask a lot of questions and learn about techniques we might use to calm irrational, impaired, or hysterical callers to obtain information for responding officers. Discuss how calls from scared callers, the elderly, and children are handled.
3. Law Enforcement Dispatching: Learn how we know which officers to send and the demographics of our Law User Agencies. Understand how Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) makes our job easier.
4. 9-1-1 Communications Training Program: Find out about the training provided throughout the careers of our Communications Specialists.
5. Geographical Areas and Contract Cities: Learn what it means to be a contract city, and see all the areas where we provide police services.
6. Quality Improvement Program: Learn what we are doing to ensure we are bringing our communities the best service possible.
7. CALEA: Learn what our Communications Accreditation from the “Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies” means for you as our citizens.
8. Observation Time: Spend time plugged in with a Call Receiver and Dispatcher to observe what takes place when someone calls for help.

Instructors

All instructors are members of the King County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center staff and participate in the training program. They will share their knowledge, enabling you to learn about the diversity of 9-1-1 Communications and how the user agencies work together.

Qualifications

Potential candidates for the 9-1-1 Citizen’s Academy must meet the following criteria:

• Minimum age of 18 years
• Live or work in King County
• No felony convictions

Persons selected to attend the academy will be notified by mail/email and/or phone prior to the beginning of classes.

Applications received after the class has been filled will be retained and considered for future sessions.

The 9-1-1 Citizen’s Academy class is typically held bi-annually. They are held on a Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and include a 1 hour break for lunch.

Note: All applicants are subject to a background check and will be notified if selected to attend the academy.

Applicant Instructions

If you are interested in participating in our 9-1-1 Citizen’s Academy, please download and complete the background and application forms. Or you can call our recruiting hotline at (206) 205-6225 to request an application be mailed to you. 

Mail completed forms to: Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center (RCECC), Attention: Karolyn Foley, 3511 NE 2nd St, Renton, WA 98056.

Forms may also be scanned and emailed to: KCSO911.FB@kingcounty.gov or faxed to 206-205-7969. If you opt to scan, fax or email the forms you must bring the originals with you. Due to legal requirements we must follow, we won’t be able to allow you to participate without your original signed documentation provided in advance of the course.