Dispatchers work evenings and overnight hours during the week, and all hours over the weekend. Main duties include taking phone calls, assisting the public at the front desk, listening and answering the police radio, monitoring holdup and entry alarms, and listening to the Wichita Police Department radio. Dispatchers also assign officers to calls, and keep track of their location and activities. Dispatchers operate the university computer system, departmental computers, and the Kansas Law Enforcement Telecommunication System. Dispatchers therefore, must know campus geography, and police codes and radio procedures.
Training is conducted mainly on the job, and last about three weeks.
Dispatchers are trained by an experienced dispatcher. At the end of the training period, dispatchers must successfully pass an extensive written test before working on their own. The department furnishes the uniform and cleaning services. Employees provide a black belt and black shoes. Desk workers work either an early or late shift, which are in the evening or early morning hours.