The Communications Bureau is one of the most important of the support services contained within the police department. It is the division responsible for maintaining a vital link between the public and the officers in the field. Police communications officers, or dispatchers, handle many types of calls and situations daily, from routine to emergency, critical incidents. The dispatcher provides a necessary, indispensable function for the public and the police officer alike.

At the Huntington Beach Police Department, the communications division receives thousands of calls a year, and averages about 800 calls daily. Many of these calls are simple requests for directions, locations, phone numbers or referrals that are handled directly by the dispatcher or transferred to another department for advice or follow-up. Hundreds of other calls result in "calls for service", which require either the response of a police officer or other action that needs to be documented. The majority of calls received are of a routine, business nature that are easily handled by the dispatcher. But there are also those calls of an emergency nature that require the dispatcher's greatest skills, training, and level-headed thinking to be utilized.

Dispatchers, like officers, work 10 hour shifts, and there are at least 3 dispatchers on duty at any given time of day or night on weekdays, weekends or holidays. When fully staffed, the communications division employs 21 full time dispatchers to fill these shifts.

The Communications Division falls under the command of Captain Junginger who has the overall responsibility for the Administrative Operations Division.

For a more in depth description of Communications Equipment and the environment of a dispatcher click here.