Bilingual 911 Dispatchers to Get Boost in Salaries

Monterey Park will boost the salaries of police dispatchers with special language skills in hopes of recruiting more bilingual employees for its 911 emergency services. Under a program adopted Monday by the City Council, dispatchers who are fluent in languages spoken by more than 25% of the city’s population will get a $150-a-month bonus.

Dispatchers--employees who field 911 emergency calls and send police or fire trucks to the scene--make between $23,016 and $28,140 a year, depending on length of their employment.

The council had considered a tougher policy that would have required the hiring of only bilingual dispatchers until a goal was met. City Atty. Anthony Canzoneri had warned that Monterey Park could get into legal trouble if it failed to hire enough bilingual dispatchers.