How to become a 911 dispatcher in Maryland
In Maryland, 911 dispatchers are hired by city, county and regional 911 centers. The Maryland Emergency Number Systems Board (Maryland 9-1-1 Board) sets the statewide standards; the credential is Public Safety Telecommunicator (911 dispatcher). At the Baltimore Police Department 911 communications (Emergency Dispatcher), new hires start at $52,875 a year.
Pay at the Baltimore Police Department 911 communications (Emergency Dispatcher)
Each city and county sets its own pay. This is the official scale of the Baltimore Police Department 911 communications (Emergency Dispatcher), the largest city's agency.
| Starting salary | $52,875 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | — |
| Scale effective | FY2025 |
Source:[services1.arcgis.com]
Pay for this work across Maryland
Federal survey figures for public safety telecommunicators in Maryland, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from any one agency's pay scale above.
| People in this work | 1,610 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $46,840 |
| Median pay | $58,910 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $76,500 |
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 call takers was found; counties hire and set these
- COMAR 12.11.03.10: within 6 months of hiring a PSAP call taker, the county must train the new call taker using a curriculum adopted or approved by the Emergency Number Systems Board
- Yearly in-service training using a Board-adopted or approved curriculum
- Required training topics: PSAP orientation, communication skills, electronic systems, policies and procedures, call processing, documentation, dispatch procedures, stress management, public relations, administrative duties, disaster and major incident training
- PSAPs must be staffed with personnel who can process calls from TTY machines used by people with speech or hearing impairments
Source:[dsd.maryland.gov]
Required training
Length not published. COMAR 12.11.03.10 requires Board-approved new-call-taker training within 6 months of hire plus yearly in-service, but sets no hour total.[dsd.maryland.gov]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, Employees' Pension System (Reformed Contributory Pension Benefit)
- Benefit formula: 1.50% × Average Final Compensation (highest five consecutive years) × years of creditable service; member contribution 7% of earnable compensation
- When you can retire: Members enrolled on or after July 1, 2011: normal service retirement at age 65 with 10 years of eligibility service, or age plus service of at least 90; early (reduced 6% per year before 65, max 30%) at age 60 with 15 years
Covers employees of participating Maryland local governments. Baltimore City employees are instead in the Employees' Retirement System of the City of Baltimore (not researched here).
Source:[sra.maryland.gov]