More 911 upgrades under consideration by Lake Region Law Enforcement Center

While the upgrades currently planned for the 911 dispatch center at Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (LRLEC) are a step in the right direction, more are needed to ensure swift emergency response, according to Director Rob Johnson. We reached out to him after he addressed the Eddy County Commission on April 6 regarding the Genre fire, but he did not respond to our follow-up questions until after the April 12 edition had gone to press.

In his written response Friday, Johnson noted that some of the upgrades, to which he was referring at the meeting, are in addition to the planned expenses for new consoles and connection to the State Interoperable Radio Network (SIRN). He clarified that all partner entities have committed to the SIRN/console project and have signed the cost share agreement.

The new consoles and SIRN are important upgrades, Johnson stated, as SIRN will improve communication abilities for both 911 dispatchers and first responders. However, he is already looking ahead to more improvements, particularly a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Representatives for Motorola were onsite at LRLEC March 30 and gave a live demo of one such system, the Spillman Flex CAD, with an estimated price tag of $180,000.

The CAD system has the potential to “significantly increase the accuracy and timeliness of which agencies are dispatched,” according to Johnson, particularly by reducing redundancy, simplifying dispatch procedures and improving the flow of communication to and from responders.

Johnson says the CAD system will not only make the dispatch center more efficient, but it will also significantly benefit all responder agencies, including law enforcement, ambulance and fire. In order for all agencies to glean the full benefits of this system, however, they must see and understand the potential benefits that will be available to them.

Other 911 dispatch centers across the state already have CAD systems, making LRLEC a bit behind their peers in regards to technology.

“Ultimately, we have not historically taken advantage of technological advances to improve the services that we provide. A number of our systems are antiquated, unsupported, and if they failed, we would be in significant trouble,” Johnson acknowledged, reiterating his position that the current systems require multi-step procedures which provide too much opportunity for human error. “The CAD system will help reduce those steps and errors by making the processes much more efficient, requiring fewer clicks and eliminating redundancy,” he concluded.

Johnson said he plans to set up another demo of the Motorola CAD System, and this time partner agencies will be invited to attend remotely, providing more opportunity for those who were not in attendance to see the system and ask questions.