State - of - the - Art Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system offers efficiency and safety benefits
Before Orange County Emergency Communications Center (OCECC) and the Sheriff ’ s Office consolidated, OCECC used two CAD systems, one for Fire/Rescue calls, and another for all law enforcement calls. With the new CAD, we are operating on one system, which facilitates information sharing. Mobile Data Computers (MDCs) allow responders to see what the dispatcher is adding to the call as the information is received.
A new feature that we are still incorporating into our operations, is the ability to receive pictures and location data from callers by sending them a link. For example, if a caller is somewhere on Route 20 near
a gas station, we can send them a link allowing them to send us a picture of the station, along with more accurate location data than is currently provided by 9 - 1 - 1. Another benefit is the ability to obtain National Crime Infor- mation Center information through the CAD system. No long- er must we change to a different computer for routine driver ’ s license and vehicle registration checks. In fact, the new system automatically runs these when they are added. We ’ ve also gained the ability to include photos in the Name Cards. The new CAD allows us to eliminate some of our paper - based systems. Previously, for tow truck requests, we had to
The Sheriff ’ s Office was using a 2001 Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System until August 2020. The new Central Square product con- nects law enforcement in the field to Dispatch and Fire/Rescue with live call for service information and a list of on - duty units. The upgrade to the modern Central Square Zuercher CAD/RMS has been a huge benefit to the deputy sher- iffs of this agency! Not only do deputies have active Mobile Data Terminals (MDT ’ s) in their vehicles for CAD infor- mation but it also allows them to complete and submit reports to both the Sheriff ’ s Office and DMV in Richmond in the case of traffic crash reports from their cars without the need to go to the Sheriff ’ s Office for report writing and submission . - Mike Lacasse, Chief Deputy Sheriff
consult a book showing who was next in the tow rotation. Central Square automates this log. We ’ re also using it to track livestock in the county! If you
see a cow in the road, we can quickly search a log in the system for the area and type of livestock and pull up the owner ’ s contact information.
Having a mapping system that is easy to update and connected to CAD is an amazing change. Our previ- ous system was a separate product which was end of life for a couple of years. We ’ re now able to see where the deputies are. When COFEMS gets their MDCs installed, we ’ ll be able to see them as well, maximizing situational awareness. This is great for responder safety, which is one of our chief duties as an emergency communications center.
Finally, one of our favorite features of the system is customizability. Not only can every dispatcher setup their screens to their preference, but we can easily make changes on the fly to suit our operations, and we are no longer restrained as we were with the previous system. We are still learning more features and we plan to use this new system to its fullest!
Page 2 | October 2020
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