Communications Academy Training

Academy Candidate,

The LVMPD Communications Academy is designed to provide you with the foundation your career will ultimately rest on. Your time in the academy and in training will be both challenging and demanding.

The LVMPD processes approximately 2.8 million calls a year and services all of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. Police Dispatcher Professionals have a direct impact on the lives and safety of the citizens of Las Vegas and the officers of the LVMPD. This responsibility isn't to be taken lightly.

The academy requires college-level academic commitment. Be prepared to study.

Upon successful completion of the academy, each trainee enters floor training. During this time, trainees are assigned to a CTO (Communications Training Officer) to process emergency and non-emergency calls. These calls are real emergency and non-emergency calls coming in to the LVMPD Communications Center.

The career of a Police Dispatcher Professional is a rewarding one. However, with every reward comes a demand. The mental toughness required to successfully be a part of the LVMPD Communications Bureau cannot be overstated. Be prepared to commit yourselves to the LVMPD vision of becoming the safest community in America. If you think you have what it takes to be a part of one of the top police agencies in the country, we look forward to seeing you.

Police Dispatcher Professional Academy

The function of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Police Dispatcher Professional Academy is to prepare newly hired employees for emergency telecommunications service in Clark County. The Academy is a ten-week program and includes classroom instruction, demonstration, and practical application of subjects pertaining to the law enforcement communications field.

Some of the general areas taught are:

• Working the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) & Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) Phone Systems.
• Determining criteria for officer response on calls.
• Techniques for handling extreme emergencies.
• Identifying hazards for officers responding on calls.
• Proper methods and resources to refer citizens when appropriate.
• Speaking on the two-way radio communications system.
• Applying policy and procedures for dispatching police officers.
• Using proper terminology.
• Speaking on the two-way radio communication system.
• Applying policy and procedures for dispatching police officers.
• Using proper terminology on the radio.
• Maintaining an officer’s status.
• Updating events to accurately reflect what is happening.
• Working emergency incidents, such as vehicle pursuits, officer involved shootings, explosive devices, etc.

Upon successful completion of the Academy, you will spend approximately 20 weeks with a Communications Training Officer (CTO) to become proficient in processing both emergency and non-emergency calls. In order to be released to work independently on phones, a trainee must successfully complete the phone phase of training. After completing phone training, Police Dispatcher Professionals will continue on into radio training. You will spend approximately 24 weeks training one-on-one with a CTO. Once you are proficient at dispatching officers and have passed all phases of dispatch training, you will be released to work independently on all radio channels.