Technology upgrade
boosts 911
dispatch service

The system is part of a plan to
coordinate HPD communications

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By Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.com

Since Wednesday the Hono-lulu Police Department has been handling 911 calls via an upgraded computer communications system, which replaces a system installed in the late 1980s.

By noon yesterday three 12-hour shifts had worked with the new computer-aided dispatching, and the biggest glitch was a printing problem that was fixed in 15 minutes, said Maj. Karl Godsey.

Officials said the $1.5 million transition is part of a larger plan to upgrade technologies and allows police to coordinate communications, such as providing maps of areas where police are dispatched and allowing dispatchers to see multiple calls or do varied tasks at the same time.

"We're looking for basically faster information, more quick response, safer operations for our officers and less of a burden for voice traffic for dispatch," said Godsey, project manager for the upgrades in computer-aided dispatching and records management, another system that will be upgraded next year.

Future plans include integrating mobile data computers, already in patrol cars, into the computer-aided dispatching.

"Officers will be able to get information on other officers without going over the air, and that's certainly a step forward," Godsey said.

Among other things, computer-aided dispatching provides computerized maps that let dispatchers zoom in on areas to help direct officers to a location and place them at a scene immediately with the click of a mouse, said Carol Zukeran, a dispatch supervisor.

Before, staffers relied on a "drawing on a billboard or a map book," she said.

Most stations for call-takers and dispatchers now have three computer monitors, up from two. The liquid crystal display screens can be customized so staffers can simultaneously work on things like records checks, mapping and managing officers in the field.

A Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman said 40 dispatch supervisors and dispatchers received 40 hours of training on the new system and then trained the remaining 100 call-takers and dispatchers.

The new monitors and other equipment were installed at HPD headquarters Monday, fine-tuned Tuesday and went fully operational at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

For two days prior, HPD dispatch worked from the Kapolei police station.

When HPD switched over Wednesday, additional staff, trainers and supervisors were brought in to oversee the operation, said Lt. Ed Nishi, communications watch commander.

"The transition went a lot smoother than we thought it would," he said.

The upgrade was funded by a $1.5 million federal grant and completed in seven months. It was overseen by Gartner Group, a information technology research and consulting firm that is contracted to handle both the computer-aided dispatching and records management upgrades.

The software was provided by Printrak, a Motorola subsidiary.