NYC 911 dispatcher (Police Communications Technician) PCT overview
Hi,
I’m writing this because I haven’t seen enough New Yorkers talking about there experience applying for the PCT position. Also if you have been or are currently an NYC PCT please consider writing about your experience so people have more insight (not just that you were stressed and left).
I applied for the PCT exam on Feb 23, 2026. I received the notification for the exam on April 7, 2026 for the exam date of April 21, 2026. I got my results and was invited on April 30, 2026 to fill out all the required paperwork for the job.
On May 8, 2026 I received my interview date of May 21, 2026. Yes, this was literally yesterday and I wanted to go over my experience and the information we received.
When you receive this invitation you get the address for the candidate center and time. When for applying for these types of roles (NYPD) you usually have to be there early at 6:30AM. You’ll be with all the other candidates depending on what they applied for PCT, PO, etc. I think my group had around 80 people.
We entered and they led us to the interview room with seats and started to process everyone. Once that was done (usually an hour) the PCT supervisors spoke about the role.
For the sake of the NYC candidates, they were very upfront about the expectations and stress of the job.
- Mandatory Overtime - you will be doing overtime…likely everyday. If you have children, fur babies, elderly you have to take care of, take this into consideration.(In NYC legally they can keep you up to 16 hours).
- Academy - this is three months and then you are put on the floor taking calls. Dispatch training comes later on once you get the hang of it and pass an exam (not sure of the order).
- Schedule - schedule options have changed. 4 days on/3 days off are no longer an option. You will have 5 days on/ 2 off. Lie a regular 9-5 but with different times.
- Location - the main call center is located at 350 Marconi street in the Bronx. If you think weather, 4 hours of sleep, etc… is going to stop you from getting there take this into consideration. There is another location in Brooklyn but this is usually for those with seniority.
Interview Process
There were multiple supervisors and they seemed to all handle the process differently. I saw some people getting interviewed for around ten minutes. Luckily my supervisor was quick and sent me on(4 minutes).
Questions
Will I work overtime?
Where did I live?
Last she had me read a paragraph about a call.
They gave me a paper to move on to medical which involves EKG, an ear/eye test. Also at 6:30AM, this will be even longer because of other candidates so be prepared to be there all day (snacks, sandwiches).
Opinion
I was a little let down by the fact that the 4/3 schedule was removed. Obviously, it is to get PCTs to be at the dispatch center for more days because they have a high absenteeism. But this also allows for them to take even more advantage and have you there for MORE overtime. Imagine 5 days straight working 16 hours. I think they should fix the reason why there is such high absenteeism and make the role more appealing but I know that won’t happen. Also, the supervisors still have the 4/3 but they aren’t sure they will still have it (but they are in a union so I’m sure they’ll fight that, wish they did that for the newcomers). Anyway, I probably won’t be going forward in the process for this reason. Money is good but I did want the 4/3. Hr