Half of the top 10 overtime earners in the Howard County Police Department in 2006 were dispatchers, Howard County payroll records show.

The overtime is there — gobs of it — for the dispatchers who want it, and its availability, officials say, describes what some call a “burnout” job in which the difference between life and death can hinge on the dispatcher’s ability to dispense information calmly and accurately to people in crisis.

“They are helping people who are in the scariest moments of their lives,” police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said. “This is a tough job, and it’s not one for everybody.”

“We have people come in and go through the whole test process and realize they can’t do it,” said Larry Mindel, a senior dispatcher and president of the local police dispatcher’s union.

This story continues below
Advertisement

The brisk turnover makes staffing levels hard to track, but Mindel said a handful of positions were not filled as of this month. To date, the department is staffed with 37 dispatchers and eight senior dispatchers, he said.

County Executive Ken Ulman funded three additional dispatcher positions in his 2008 budget, which the County Council approved on May 23.

“We’re always happy to have more,” Llewellyn said. “Bolstering staff is never bad.”

Police dispatchers alternately handle 911 calls for the fire and police departments, depending on the shift. They work four 12-hour shifts a week — two days and two nights — and often more, records show.

The Examiner is conducting a review of public salaries and overtime paid by government agencies througout the region. Click here to download the Howard County's Excel spreadsheet detailing salaries and overtime for each department.

Senior Dispatcher Edgar Holman grossed $103,337 in 2006, owing in part to more than $33,000 in overtime earnings. On average, he worked 18 hours of overtime per week, according to payroll records.

Llewellyn said the numbers were skewed slightly by the dispatchers’ contract with the department, which, on balance, builds two hours of overtime into an eight-day cycle.

AT A GLANCE

» Five police dispatchers earned overtime pay that represented more than 30 percent — or at least $20,000 — of their gross earning.

» Some logged an average of 18 hours overtime per week in 2006.

» Salaries for dispatchers ranged from about $30,000 to $45,000, depending on seniority, according to Howard County payroll records.

» The median salary a police and fire dispatcher is $30,920, according to 2004 data from the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.

jpalazzolo@baltimoreexaminer.com