Joplin Emergency Communications Center

Located in the Donald C. Clark Public Safety building at 303 E. 3rd Street is the Joplin Emergency Communications Center. The center is manned 24/7 by nineteen fully certified dispatchers. The center takes anywhere from 100,000 to 140,000 phone calls on an annual basis. 
 
These calls include non-emergency police calls including administrative calls as well as 9-1-1 calls for police, fire, and medical incidents for the cities of Joplin and Duquesne. They also process calls for service generated by officers and firefighters. Calls are entered into the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system and processed from there. 

The center averages about 115,000 calls for service every year through this system.
 

Consolidated Dispatch

The Communications Center currently dispatches for Joplin Police, Joplin Fire, Duquesne Police, after-hours Missouri Southern State University Campus Police, and Joplin Animal Control. The center is also in charge of housing and entering all city warrants issued by the Joplin Municipal Court and all stolen / wanted entries given to them by officers.

Dispatch Training and Certification

Our dispatchers are fully trained and certified through the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International Standards. When first hired, they are trained during a one-week in-house academy, which is followed by approximately 90-120 days of training at each of the individual consoles within the center. Each dispatcher must receive their Computer-Aided Dispatch training, Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) training and certification, CPR certification, Missouri Law Enforcement Systems (MULE) training, and complete a 40-hour APCO course throughout the training process. Additionally, they are required to complete 24 hours annually of continuing education and must recertify every two years in EMD and MULES. 
 

The Joplin Emergency Communications Center is comprised of a unique group of individuals who work odd hours, handle stress well, multi-task, answer multiline phones, provide medical care to the public until first responders arrive, and take care of all the public safety personnel in a timely manner. From the first day our dispatchers’ step into the communication center, they are committed to do the very best job possible for our community, visitors, and responders. It is a fast-paced environment, but extremely rewarding. Our personnel are proud of the work they do and their commitment the motto of “every minute, every day, always there.” We invite you to come tour our center and see what we’re all about! 
 
 

NOW HIRING!!!!  Our dispatcher starting pay range is $33,854 - $49,319 annually.  Apply here. 

For more information contact the Communication manager, Cheryl Konarski, at [email protected] or via phone at (417) 623-3131 Ext 1409.