JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are plenty of 'help wanted' signs for jobs across the country, and that includes the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Recently, JSO increased the starting pay for police emergency communication officers by $5,000 in order to entice more candidates for the job.
First Coast News was granted behind-the-scenes access to the JSO call center for an up-close look at what a typical day is like for these officers.
Long before there's a crime scene with flashing police lights, every law enforcement situation begins with an emergency call. Every day of the year and every hour of the day, civilian officers are on call to take your calls. And they're constantly in action -- on average, the call center takes 5,000 calls per day.
"You're going to have routine calls for service like a flat tire on the highway, and you're going to have calls like I've just been shot," says Matthew Cavill, who has worked as an emergency communications officer for six years. "How you wade through the waters of those emotions is really imperative to how well you do this job."
Calm, cool and collected are key attributes for anyone interested in starting this job. In what could be the most chaotic moment of a caller's life, these officers keep their cool.
"What you could be hearing could be very traumatic," says Jessica Carden, who has worked as an emergency communications officer for five years. "But you have to understand that you both can't be at heightened emotion levels."
Being calm on the phone with a caller going through a traumatic experience is important, and so is being empathetic.
"You have to have compassion and empathy," says Cavill. "That's your first and only goal here, is to be empathetic to the callers. The citizens of Jacksonville are our customers."
And because these officers are the first line of contact in an emergency, that goes a long way.
"It's very rewarding, we're the first contact someone gets, we act with professionalism and care, sensitive to their needs, and get them the help they're calling for," says Carden.
"Every day I know that I helped somebody and that I made that day a little better for someone when they're not having a particularly good day," says Cavill. "That's rewarding, and you don't get that with every job."
If you are interested in joining JSO, in this civilian role, you can find more information at joinjso.com