Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 31 - Public Safety › Part 601 - BOARD OF EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS AND TRAINING PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION POLICY AND PROCEDURES MANUAL › Chapter 2 - Applicant Evaluation, Employment and Certification Procedures › Rule 31-601-2.3 - Procedures

Current through June 25, 2024
1. All emergency telecommunicator employers
				shall follow these steps in the evaluation, employment and certification of
				emergency telecommunicators.
A. The employing
				agency must evaluate each emergency telecommunicator applicant to ensure each
				applicant meets the minimum employment criteria prior to employment. This
				evaluation must include the following:
1. A
				complete background investigation. This investigation is a critical factor in
				determining whether emergency telecommunicator applicants meet the requirements
				established under the ETTP. The primary purpose of the investigation is to
				provide the emergency telecommunicator employer with enough factual information
				to determine if a particular candidate would ensure the continued public trust
				in the competence and reliability of the department.
2. The submission of the applicant's
				fingerprints to the Criminal Information Center of the MS Department of Public
				Safety as a part of the background investigation. This can only be done through
				the emergency telecommunications agency's law enforcement parent or through a
				law enforcement agency which is served by that particular telecommunications
				agency.
Note: Non-criminal justice agencies with emergency
				  telecommunicators (i.e., fire, EMS) may be impeded by FBI policy. Such agencies
				  should make every effort to submit fingerprints through the local law
				  enforcement agency (i.e., as part of a public safety contract). Agencies who
				  find themselves unable to submit fingerprints to CIC may obtain a waiver of
				  this requirement until possible state legislation is passed. All agencies are
				  reminded that they must complete a background check. Examples of this may come
				  in the form of local driver's license checks or from calls to previous
				  employers.
Do not send fingerprints to the Board or to the training
				  course directors. Neither of these entities will forward your applicant's
				  prints
.
3. A
				review of the official Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD
				Form 214 for all applicants who have military service. Individuals must have
				been discharged from the armed forces under honorable conditions.
4. A review of appropriate official documents
				to certify successful completion of high school or the general equivalency
				degree (GED). High School graduate is defined as graduating from a secondary
				school in an accredited school district having earned the required Carnegie
				units and successfully completed any and all subject area testing as specified
				by the Mississippi Department of Education in the year the diploma was awarded.
a. Accredited schools include those
				accredited by the Departments of Education from each State, the Private School
				Association from each State, the Association of Christian Schools
				International, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACWS) or one
				of the six regional bodies of the Association of Colleges and Schools.
b. If an applicant has not
				obtained a high school diploma from an accredited school, the applicant must
				obtain a GED through the Mississippi Department of Education or obtain an
				equivalent score on a GED test administered by the American Council on
				Education.
c. Applicants may
				provide a standardized test score on the ACT of 15 or higher in lieu of a GED
				score.
5. A review of
				appropriate official documents to certify age and citizenship.
6. A review of appropriate documents to
				verify current certification status for those applicants transferring from
				another emergency telecommunicator agency or jurisdiction.
7. Telecommunicators who transfer from
				another Mississippi emergency telecommunications agency with a valid
				certificate (w/break in-service of less than two years) must continue to meet
				all the minimum employment standards. Therefore, agencies must conduct a
				background investigation of all applicants to include those telecommunicators
				who may already hold certification.