CLASS SPECIFICATION

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTING AIDE II

DEFINITION OF CLASS:
This is lead level public safety reporting work assisting citizens/victims with documentation of domestic violence and other crimes. Personal contacts include the County Emergency Communications Center, other law enforcement jurisdictions (including the Maryland State Police), health and human service agencies, and the public to exchange routine and non-routine information in the public safety reporting process. Information exchange concerns protective and peace orders, crime reports, victim services, and other factual and service-based data. Personal contacts are typically cooperative. Public service/assistance is provided to citizens reporting incidents/accidents not requiring the immediate response of a Police Officer and petitioners concerning, or victims of, domestic violence. The employee conducts telephone or face-to-face interviews, depending on the program of assignment, to acquire specific information to complete reports, register offenders, take fingerprints, query and update databases and/or provide straightforward advice and assistance on safety and security.
An employee in this class interviews the citizen/victim to obtain information to complete appropriate documentation and/or provide referrals to other agencies, such as Child Welfare Services, that respond to social service needs and provide other assistance. The employee uses various databases to access and update information on criminal history, driving history, missing persons, vehicles, weapons, etc. The supervisor defines priorities and deadlines, and the employee plans and carries out the successive steps, handling problems and deviations in accordance with policies and previous training. The employee provides guidance to subordinates. Guidelines are normally available but do not cover new or unusual situations encountered in the work. The employee uses ingenuity and resourcefulness to adapt existing guidelines to address new situations such as modifying productivity reports to meet planning needs or updating SOPs on unit processes and procedures. The complexity of this class of work is in its requirement for providing guidance to lower level workers and solving problems and making decisions on non-routine or unusual cases. In addition, recommending changes in procedures and helping develop SOPs requires the employee to look at issues in depth and to use inductive reasoning. This work is responsive to the needs of crime victims, reduces the volume of work of sworn officers and thus frees them for other work, supports the proper arrest of perpetrators, enhances the safety of Deputy Sheriffs in timely and effective service of protective orders and of Police Officers responding to domestic violence and other types of calls. The work involves sitting, listening, speaking, keyboarding, standing, walking, a limited amount of lifting/carrying and other physical demands typical of administrative workers in office settings. Sitting while listening intently, talking on the telephone and looking at a video display is sometimes a prolonged activity. The employee is occasionally subject to face-to-face or telephone interaction with people who are angry, hostile or aggressive.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: (Illustrative Only)
Leads and participates in the daily operations of a shift of employees who receive citizen calls for non-emergency police assistance.
Passes on assignments, assesses and provides input on performance evaluations, and coordinates leave schedules for employees of the assigned shift.
Schedules and coordinates training and recertification activities for shift employees.
Answers questions, guides, and instructs unit personnel, new/temporary employees, and volunteers assigned to the unit.
Plans and prioritizes the work activities of subordinates.
Adjusts operating procedures to accommodate changing work volumes and personnel resources.

Telephone Reporting Unit
Monitors CAD system database of pending calls and ensures timely response and interviewing of callers/victims requesting assistance.
Reviews daily activity sheets at the end of each shift for accuracy and completeness.
Coordinates and disseminates criminal pattern information and other pertinent information to appropriate Police Department personnel.
Responds to employee and public inquiries and ensures compliance with Departmental policy and standard operating procedures.
Performs quality control checks on unit operations, citizen quality control surveys, and coordinates problem resolution with other personnel responsible for quality control.
Coordinates the collection and preparation of a variety of statistical data for the unit, such as crime statistics, budget data, etc.
Receives requests for crime reporting assistance via computer aided dispatch (CAD) system and referral. Contacts citizens/victims and conducts interviews to acquire the necessary information and details about the incident/event. (Occasionally sees citizens/victims who come to Headquarters to file reports.) Redirects calls to Emergency Communications Center (ECC) as appropriate.
Performs database queries and transactions.
Writes the appropriate incident/event and supplemental report forms, and provides social service agency referrals, as appropriate.
Uses databases to obtain information on motor vehicles, vehicle owners, drivers, missing persons, stolen and recovered vehicles, etc.
Registers sex offenders by explaining registration requirements to offender, processing paperwork, and taking fingerprints and digital photographs.
Performs NCIC validations by researching, investigating and writing reports.
Responds to subpoenas and testifies in court.
Mails copies of reports to citizens for insurance purposes.
Answers Drug Tip Hotline, completes documents and relays information to proper authority/agency.
Distributes reports to stations and other supporting units/agencies.
Processes criminal arrest and related reports for the District Station.
Cooperates with other police jurisdictions to exchange information on stolen/recovered vehicles, property, tags, etc.
Fingerprints citizens and completes fingerprint cards for immigration and naturalization and other purposes.
Operates photocopying equipment, calculator, computer terminals, and other office machinery to accomplish assigned duties and responsibilities.
Performs related duties as required.

Domestic Violence Section
Responds to employee and public inquiries and ensures compliance with departmental policy and SOPs.
Performs quality control checks on unit operations, citizen quality control surveys and coordinates problem resolution with other personnel responsible for quality control.
Coordinates the collection and preparation of a variety of statistical data for the unit, such as number of 911 cell phones and ADT pendants issued, budget data, etc.
Interviews domestic violence victims and victims of other crimes who have obtained emergency court orders for protection from violence. Assesses their needs for safety and security to identify appropriateness of, and requests or provides welfare checks, ADT pendants, 911 cell phones and other services. Provides social service agency referrals, as appropriate.
Uses databases to obtain information on perpetrators of domestic violence and respondents in temporary protection orders.
Reconciles information provided by interviewees with information available in the criminal and civil databases. This involves a multi-step process due to use of aliases by respondents and other conflicting data, and a search for and confirmation of outstanding warrants, both in and out of state, on the defendants.
Enters and updates critical information into criminal and civil databases on temporary protective orders, peace orders and protective orders.
Answers inquiries from County residents, public and private assistance and social service agencies.
Maintains Sheriff's Office files on temporary protective orders, peace orders and protective orders.
Performs related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience: Two years experience as a Public Safety Reporting Aide I, or performing work comparable to that of a Public Safety Reporting Aide I.
Education: Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State of Maryland.
Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of, or ability to rapidly acquire knowledge of pertinent State and County codes and regulations; various computer systems/databases, such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Maryland Interagency Law Enforcement System (MILES), in order to access, use and input information, as required by the assignment.
Knowledge of, or ability to rapidly acquire knowledge of Police District geography, Police Department/District or Office of the Sheriff procedures and other applicable rules and standards concerning a variety of matters, including police reports, towing, Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff dispatch, information look-ups, fingerprinting, or domestic violence matters, in order to determine and take the requisite action or offer best course of immediate advice, as required by the assignment.
Skill in interviewing, including careful listening and speaking, to exchange pertinent facts in criminal and civil matters. This includes skill in eliciting personal information from victims of crime.
Skill in written communication to update paperwork and electronic forms and databases.
Interpersonal skills and discretion to effectively exchange information while protecting privacy.
Skill in paying attention to detail in using databases to obtain and update criminal and civil information.
Skill in using standard keyboards equivalent to the needs of the specific position (number pads, function keys, word processing terminals, microcomputers, or other office automation equipment).
Skill in operating fingerprinting, photocopying, and other related office equipment.
Skill in accurately computing numbers.
Skill in using road maps and providing easy to follow, clear directions.
Skill in the applicable laws and procedures used in the classification and reporting of crimes.
Ability to lead/supervise, train and provide input on evaluations of personnel performing rotating shift work, including weekends and holidays.
Ability to plan the work for a shift of employees in the unit of assignment.
Ability to pass a police background investigation and obtain and maintain NCIC certification.
Ability and willingness to work rotating shift work schedules, including holidays.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD:
Individuals appointed or promoted to this class will be required to serve a probationary period of six months, during which time performance will be carefully evaluated. Continuation in this class will be contingent upon successful completion of the probationary period.

MEDICAL PROTOCOL: Core Exam*
* Preplacement Drug/Alcohol Screen is required.

Class Established: October 1995
Revised: July 2004(M)
April 2010

Former Class Title: Police Telephone Reporting Aide II