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By Tanya Eiserer
The Dallas Morning News
April 22, 2008
DALLAS — Dallas technology officials told City Council members that it will take over a year and more than $14 million to resolve problems related to the installation of Dallas' new emergency dispatch system.
A briefing before the city's public safety committee Monday detailed a litany of problems plaguing the system: firefighters sent to wrong addresses, crews directed to incidents when others were closer, and emergency workers inadvertently told to disregard emergency calls when help actually was needed.
Police officers also have released wanted suspects they were questioning because information on their outstanding warrants arrived too late.
The problems started immediately after the nearly $6 million system went online in August.
"I'm extremely disappointed that we have so many problems," Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia, chairwoman of the public safety committee, told city staffers.
Council member Mitchell Rasansky put it more bluntly. "I don't have confidence in what we're doing," he said.
"This is absolute insanity."
The decision to brief the public safety committee came after a Dallas Morning News story in early March revealed that many of the new dispatch problems are related to the way the new system links to older equipment.
When the city decided to replace its 35-year-old homegrown emergency dispatch system with the automated one created by San Diego-based TriTech, it decided not to spend millions of dollars on the mobile software system that would allow the computers in emergency vehicles to easily communicate with City Hall.
The city instead opted to build a bridge between the old and new systems for about $640,000.
City officials have since reversed course and decided to buy TriTech's mobile software.
Worris Levine, the city's director of communication and information services, told committee members that the city plans to start a pilot project to test TriTech's mobile software in the city's police and fire vehicles.
If the test goes well, the city expects to begin installing the new mobile software in vehicles this summer.
Of the more than $14 million needed to resolve the problems, nearly $6.2 million was already budgeted during the current fiscal year, city documents show.
City officials are asking for about $7.8 million more for next fiscal year.
The cost includes a projected $5.5 million for the TriTech mobile software and related expenses.
About $715,000 is needed to make the speakers at the city's fire stations function properly.
Still, council member Dave Neumann said the amount of money being spent on the project makes him nervous.
"I'm wondering how much more money we're going to have to pour into it," he said.
Source: www.policeone.com
The Dallas Morning News
April 22, 2008
DALLAS — Dallas technology officials told City Council members that it will take over a year and more than $14 million to resolve problems related to the installation of Dallas' new emergency dispatch system.
A briefing before the city's public safety committee Monday detailed a litany of problems plaguing the system: firefighters sent to wrong addresses, crews directed to incidents when others were closer, and emergency workers inadvertently told to disregard emergency calls when help actually was needed.
Police officers also have released wanted suspects they were questioning because information on their outstanding warrants arrived too late.
The problems started immediately after the nearly $6 million system went online in August.
"I'm extremely disappointed that we have so many problems," Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia, chairwoman of the public safety committee, told city staffers.
Council member Mitchell Rasansky put it more bluntly. "I don't have confidence in what we're doing," he said.
"This is absolute insanity."
The decision to brief the public safety committee came after a Dallas Morning News story in early March revealed that many of the new dispatch problems are related to the way the new system links to older equipment.
When the city decided to replace its 35-year-old homegrown emergency dispatch system with the automated one created by San Diego-based TriTech, it decided not to spend millions of dollars on the mobile software system that would allow the computers in emergency vehicles to easily communicate with City Hall.
The city instead opted to build a bridge between the old and new systems for about $640,000.
City officials have since reversed course and decided to buy TriTech's mobile software.
Worris Levine, the city's director of communication and information services, told committee members that the city plans to start a pilot project to test TriTech's mobile software in the city's police and fire vehicles.
If the test goes well, the city expects to begin installing the new mobile software in vehicles this summer.
Of the more than $14 million needed to resolve the problems, nearly $6.2 million was already budgeted during the current fiscal year, city documents show.
City officials are asking for about $7.8 million more for next fiscal year.
The cost includes a projected $5.5 million for the TriTech mobile software and related expenses.
About $715,000 is needed to make the speakers at the city's fire stations function properly.
Still, council member Dave Neumann said the amount of money being spent on the project makes him nervous.
"I'm wondering how much more money we're going to have to pour into it," he said.
Source: www.policeone.com