Starting pay for a Wyoming Highway Patrol Dispatcher (PSDI04) is $22.68 an hour. Dispatchers are eligible to be promoted to a Wyoming Highway Patrol Dispatcher II (PSDI06) once they have acquired the knowledge and skills of a Dispatcher and have two years of dispatcher work experience or a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice/Communications. The Wyoming Highway Patrol Dispatcher II (PSDI06) pay is $26.40 an hour. 

Wyoming Highway Patrol dispatchers receive competitive pay and a number of benefits which include:

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance premiums that are substantially paid for monthly by the State of Wyoming.  Healthier Wyoming Program which provides a discount on insurance.

• Sick leave that accrues up to a maximum of eight hours per month to start, based on the number of hours worked each month. An unlimited number of days may be accrued and carried over from year to year.

• Vacation time that accumulates based on the number of hours worked each month. The accrual rate increases every five years to a maximum accrual rate of 16 hours a month. Accrued vacation time may be carried over each year, with maximums ranging from 30-48 days, dependent upon the length of service.

• Nine paid holidays which are observed each year.

• Overtime paid at “time and a half,” 1.5 times the individuals' regular hourly rate.

• Longevity Pay, which provides an additional $40 per month for every five years of unbroken service, unlimited accrual.

• The State of Wyoming substantially pays · Law Enforcement retirement.

• Wyoming 457 Deferred Compensation Plan under which employees may defer a portion of their income to provide a return in investment.

• Seventy-five percent reimbursement for tuition for continuing job-related education.

• Ongoing, certified training.

Dispatchers are held to a high standard of professional conduct which is essential to maintaining the trust of those they serve. The Dispatch hiring process is designed to find qualified individuals capable of meeting the demands and standards of this unique career. The hiring and testing process is extensive and may take many weeks from the time an application is submitted until the new employee is hired.

Qualified Applicants:

• Once Human Resources qualify an application, a letter of invitation to an orientation/test sign-up is sent to the applicant. The orientation describes the hiring process and the Dispatch position. After the orientation, interested applicants are invited to sign up for the CritiCall computerized skills test.

Computerized Skills Test:

• The computerized skills tests consist of individual modules that test skills such as data entry, multi-tasking, decision making, prioritization, character comparison, memory recall, reading comprehension, spelling, sentence clarity, map reading, and call summarization. An applicant must pass all modules of the test to continue in the testing and hiring process.

Interview & Psychological Test:

• If an applicant passes the CritiCall skills test, they will be scheduled for an oral board style interview and the first of two psychological tests. Scores from the CritiCall test and interview will be used to determine which candidates are under consideration for a position. The psychological test and associated questionnaire will be submitted to a Psychologist for evaluation for only those candidates being considered for a position.

Conditional Offer:

• Candidates under final consideration for employment will be offered a conditional offer of employment at which time an in-depth psychological test, interview with a psychologist, and a physical conducted by a medical specialist will be scheduled. The physical schedule includes a drug screening, hearing, and general health exam. 

Background Investigations:

• Background investigations are also conducted on candidates under final consideration for a Dispatch position. Background investigations include work history, driver history, criminal history, credit history, personal history, and the results of medical and psychological evaluations.

Final Offer:

• Candidates who have successfully passed the testing and hiring process will be offered a Dispatch position two or more weeks in advance of the beginning of the basic Dispatch training to give current employers notice.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol Communications Basic Course is comprised of multiple trainer-evaluated phases. Newly hired Dispatchers receive a minimum of four weeks of classroom training, two weeks of call taking training, and eight weeks of on-the-job radio training. The training also fulfills Peace Officer Standard and Training (POST) certification requirements.

During the classroom portion of the Communications Basic Course, new Dispatchers learn about state geography, state highway systems, professionalism and ethics, emergency telephone answering, law enforcement language and codes, law enforcement computer systems, critical incidents, stress management, and more. Students will be tested on classroom material and will be expected to participate in simulations in order to learn the role of the Dispatcher in law enforcement and related emergency services.

Call taking training applies the classroom training to a live-work setting. A new Dispatcher is coached and monitored by a Communications Training Officer during this phase of training and will receive daily feedback on their progress.

On-the-job radio training is the final phase of training for a new Dispatcher and lasts a minimum of eight weeks. A new Dispatcher must apply knowledge from the classroom and call taking during their radio training. Again, a Communications Training Officer monitors and evaluates the trainee’s progress during this phase. Successful completion of each phase is required before the new Dispatcher is released to work independently.

Dispatchers who become permanent employees are required to complete an additional twenty hours of POST training every two years in order to maintain an Advanced Dispatcher Certification. Dispatchers may also receive a POST Professional Dispatcher Certification if they meet the training experience requirements of the certification.

For more information, or to speak with the WHP Dispatch Training Coordinator, please call 307-777-3827.   

To apply for a WHP Dispatcher position, click here.