E-911 getting new Computer Aided Dispatch system

Dispatchers will receive a new, state of the art, system to communicate with in Whitley County. This is all thanks to a grant awarded to Whitley County E-911 through the Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS).

Whitley County Fiscal Court officials said they are pleased to announce the reception of this grant, which will be used to purchase a new Computer Aided Dispatch and Mapping System (CAD).

“We are very excited CMRS picked our project for funding,” said Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White, Jr. “Our dispatch center was in dire need of a new CAD system.  Many times the system was not available for use and dispatchers were forced to document calls by hand using paper logs.”

Officials said the new system will replace an existing system that has been crashing since last winter when a power outage at the dispatch center caused a power surge in the server.  Since that time, dispatchers have been trying to make the system work until it became apparent that it would cost more to fix the current system than it would to purchase a new system.

The new system will also allow the 911 center to be ready when the Next-Gen technology becomes available.

“Our dispatchers are our first line of defense for our first responders and sometimes their only link to help.  We want to make sure they have the best equipment possible to help our first responders,” added White.

The new system should be installed and in use by the end of July.