What They REALLY Want Is a Paralegal

I spotted the following job opening at the Tippecanoe County website yesterday:

Position:  Part Time Communication Officer

Location:  Lafayette, IN

POSITION:                 Communication Officer  DEPARTMENT:        Sheriff/E 911 SALARY:                    up to $16.30 per hour   ESSENTIAL DUTIES:    Receives emergency calls, gathers maximum amount of information in minimum amount of time, determines appropriate response, and dispatches Department officers and other emergency personnel, such as Indiana State Police, Emergency Medical Services, and Fire.  Receives non-emergency calls, determines nature of call, responds to inquiries, routes caller to appropriate person, takes messages, or dispatches personnel, such as County and State Highway, Animal Control and Conservation Officers, wreckers, Coroner and Child Protective Services.  Monitors radio frequency activities of various other law enforcement and public safety agencies within the county and surrounding counties, and notifies and/or dispatches local emergency personnel as situations demand.  Regularly communicates with field units, assessing unit safety and need for backup, dispatching backup units and other emergency personnel as necessary.  Receives teletypes pertaining to, but not limited to, criminal histories, driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, gun permits, runaways, missing persons, and stolen property.  Maintains accurate records/logs of all complaints, restraining and protective orders, and warrants served and recalled.  Maintains complete and accurate log of all radio traffic calls, assigns unit(s), follow up on disposition of call, and enters information on log sheet.  Answers alarms and dispatches police officers for local businesses and residences.  May clock jail personnel in/out, and periodically assist with jail operations in absence of Jail Officers and/or Matron, such as monitoring security cameras, operating control board, communicating with inmates and booking female detainees.  Periodically attends prescribed training programs as required.  Dispatches notices regarding Fire and EMS training and meetings.  Performs related duties as assigned.   JOB REQUIREMENTS: High school diploma or GED.  Ability to acquire/maintain required certifications, including IDACS Communications, Emergency Medical Dispatch, and First Responder/CPR.  Ability to meet all Department hiring and retention requirements, including incumbent not posing a direct threat to the health and safety of other individuals in the work place.  Working knowledge of and ability to make practical application of customary practices, procedures, rules and regulations of the Department and County, and area law enforcement, EMS and fire demands.  Ability to accurately record all information as required.  Ability to maintain confidentiality of Department information as required.  Working knowledge of standard English grammar, spelling and punctuation, and ability to type with speed and accuracy and properly use assigned equipment, including radio console, computer, typewriter, fax machine, Enhanced 911 system, intercom phone, Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), copier, tape recorder, dictaphone, and paging systems.  Ability to physically perform the essential duties of the position, including sitting for long periods with little or no opportunity for breaks during shift, and above average split-ear hearing with ability to decipher information received simultaneously.  Ability to effectively listen, comprehend, and communicate with co-workers, other County departments, various law enforcement agencies and emergency response agencies, and the public during varied emergency and non-emergency situations, including being sensitive to professional ethics, gender, cultural diversities and disabilities.  Ability to successfully and professionally obtain proper information, take control of hysterical, hostile, and/or misinformed individuals, and clearly and calmly respond during emergency/stressful situations.  Ability to take authoritative action as situations demand, appropriately dispatch personnel, condense large amount of information into coherent remarks.  Thorough knowledge of County geography and ability to use and understand maps.  Working knowledge of and ability to properly use radio frequencies, codes, procedures and limitations, and a variety of acronyms and codes.  Ability to work alone and with others in a team environment with minimum supervision and work on several tasks at the same time, often under time pressure.  Ability to work irregular, evening, weekend, and/or extended hours as directed or required. *   *   *   *   * Those yellow-highlighted sections just scream Paralegal to me. That's what we work on here. Not posing a direct threat to the health and safety of other individuals in the workplace? Well, that's on you. If you're interested, apply via the Tippecanoe County website. (You're paralegal students--YOU find it.) If you're interested in a part-time job that does not explicitly require you to avoid posing a direct threat to your coworkers, the courthouse is looking for another paralegal student or two. Contact me to apply for that.