How to become a 911 dispatcher in Illinois
In Illinois, 911 dispatchers are hired by city, county and regional 911 centers. The Illinois State Police, Office of the Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator sets the statewide standards; the credential is Public Safety Telecommunicator (911 dispatcher). At the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), Police Communications Operator I, new hires start at $61,824 a year.
Pay at the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), Police Communications Operator I
Each city and county sets its own pay. This is the official scale of the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), Police Communications Operator I, the largest city's agency.
| Starting salary | $61,824 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | — |
City of Chicago open-data payroll (Current Employee Names, Salaries, and Position Titles): the lowest annual salary among active Police Communications Operator I employees is $61,824, matching the advertised starting salary; current salaries in the title run in steps up to $112,956. No official pay-plan document with step timing was found.
Source:[data.cityofchicago.org]
Pay for this work across Illinois
Federal survey figures for public safety telecommunicators in Illinois, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from any one agency's pay scale above.
| People in this work | 4,350 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $38,920 |
| Median pay | $61,260 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $94,970 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]
Requirements
- No statewide minimum age, education or citizenship rule for 911 telecommunicators was found; state law sets training content instead
- Newly hired PSAP telecommunicators must complete the state sexual assault and sexual abuse call-handling curriculum before handling emergency calls (20 ILCS 2605/2605-53(b)(1))
- Newly hired public safety telecommunicators must complete the emergency dispatch procedures training curriculum set by the Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator before independently handling emergency calls; continuing education on 9-1-1 service delivery and professionalism every two years
- Beginning January 1, 2026, all 9-1-1 telecommunicators who dispatch for emergency medical conditions must be trained in high-quality telecommunicator CPR (T-CPR) (P.A. 104-372)
- Emergency Medical Dispatchers are licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health after an approved EMD and T-CPR course, using an approved EMD protocol (210 ILCS 50/3.70)
Source:[ilga.gov]
Required training
Length not published. State law requires new hires to finish the Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator's emergency dispatch procedures curriculum and the sexual assault/abuse call-handling curriculum before handling calls on their own, but no required hour total was found in statute or 83 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1325.[ilga.gov]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), Tier 2 Regular Plan
- Benefit formula: 1-2/3% of final rate of earnings (FRE) for each of the first 15 years of service credit plus 2% for each year over 15; maximum 75% of FRE. FRE = highest total earnings in any 96 consecutive months within the last 10 years of IMRF service, divided by 96 (capped by the wage cap)
- When you can retire: Unreduced at age 67 with at least 10 years of service credit, or at age 62 with at least 35 years; reduced pension from age 62 with 10 years (1/2% per month under age 67 for 10 to under 30 years; for 30 to under 35 years, the lesser of 1/2% per month under 67 or 1/2% per month of service under 35 years)
- Social Security: yes, you also pay in
Source:[imrf.org]