Police unveil new dispatching system
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Honolulu Police Department this week unveiled a new computer-aided dispatching system that the department hopes will speed communications to patrol officers and provide quicker police response.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The $1.5 million system was put into operation Wednesday at police headquarters on Beretania Street.
Charles Mole, a police radio dispatcher, sits at the console to receive calls from the public routed via the 911 system. Mole takes information from callers and passes it on to other radio dispatchers, who send an officer or officers to the scene. The Computer Aided Dispatch system is designed to help the dispatchers do their work better and faster.
HPD Maj. Karl Godsey, who assisted with the project, said the system could decrease crime by providing officers quicker access to critical information, such as verifying auto ownership..
"Speed of information is power in dealing with crime," Godsey said. "If officers are able to make more inquiries that they weren't able to do before, officers will make more discoveries."
The new system comes on the heels of a technology upgrade by HPD involving the Ericsson digital radio system, car-installed mobile data computers and the backup Alternate Communications Center at the Kapolei station for emergencies.
With the computer-aided dispatching system, patrol officers in a few months will be able to perform rapid license checks on their mobile data computers without assistance of dispatchers, Godsey said.
The system can also locate the closest patrol officer available, saving dispatchers valuable time, and also display a detailed map showing each officers' location, Godsey said.
A dispatch supervisor yesterday said the transition to the new computer system was relatively smooth with the only problem being a temporary printer glitch.
"There's going to be growing pains," said Carol Zukeran, a supervising police radio dispatcher. "It's a totally different system they need to get used to."
She said supervisors were given 40 hours of training and dispatchers a minimum of eight hours. To speed the learning curve, some dispatchers provided others with "cheat sheets" for the system, she said. The department has about 130 dispatchers, of which 20 to 25 are on duty at one time, she said.
Printrak, a Motorola company, was awarded the $1.5 million contract because of its low bid and comprehensive package, Godsey said. The contract was paid by a federal grant.
Jim McClam, Printrak senior program manager, said the system is equipped with an elaborate back-up that is constantly storing information. He said the computer backup system is similar to ones used by the banking community.
Last year, the HPD Communications Division logged 946,820 calls for emergency and other police services on the enhanced 911 system, an increase of almost 146,000 from the previous year, according to the department's annual report.
