DISPATCH Monthly

State-by-State Required Dispatcher Training

We're gathering new and updated information on state-required training for public safety dispatchers--not the training that your individual agency provides or requires. If your state has training requirements for initial or on-going training, help us out--e-mail the name of your state, along with the number of hours of initial and on-going training. If your state has no requirement, send us zero for that category, and include any explanatory comments.

Here is the information that we've collected so far. See the footnotes at the bottom of the list. States with no listing indicate we haven't collected information so far.


State

Initial
Training
Hours

On-Going
Training
Hours

Alabama

 

 

Alaska

 

 

Arkansas

 

 

Arizona

80

2

California

120

24

Colorado

 

 

Connecticut

80

 

District of Columbia

360

40

Florida

208 (6)

 

Georgia

349 (9)

40

Idaho

 

 

Illinois

 

 

Indiana

 

 

Iowa

40

8

Kansas

 

 

Kentucky

160

16

Louisiana

320

 

Maine

40

 

Maryland

40

24

Massachusetts

32

8

Michigan

80 (8)

24

Minnesota

40

160

Mississippi

40

16+

Missouri

16/40

16

Montana 40 24
Nebraska

0 (5)

 

Nevada

0

0

New Hampshire

320/320(10)

24 - EMD

New Jersey

90

90

New Mexico

120

 

New York

40

 

North Carolina

0 (3)

 

Ohio

40

 

Oklahoma

 

 

Oregon

80

12-16

Pennsylvania

104

24+

South Carolina

80

 

South Dakota

80

 

Tennessee

80 (7)

8 (2)

Texas

40

10

Utah

24

12

Vermont

 

 

Virginia

280

 

Washington 80 0
West Virginia

40

 

Washington

360

30

Wisconsin

 

 

Wyoming

58

20

 

Footnotes
  • (1) work in progress on establishing standards
  • (2) every two years, minimum
  • (3) 40 hours initial training required for sheriff's dispatchers only
  • (4) 16 hrs within 1 yr of hire and 16 hrs of CDE every 2 years for a single agency type (police, fire, etc.) 911 comm center;
    if you dispatch 2 or more agency types it is 40 hrs within 1 year of hire and 40 hrs of CDE every 2 years following
  • (5) 80 hours of training available from state academy, but not required
  • (6) voluntary, not financed. Download legislative bill (pdf)
  • (7) within six months of taking the job
  • (8) funding started in 1999; standards developed starting in 2005; standard finished in 2007; enabling legislation may be passed during 2009. It includes training standards for trainers.
  • (9) 181 classroom and 168 on-the-job
  • (10) 320 hours of classroom, 320 hours of mentored training