Two companies partner on public-safety computer-aided dispatch

Published 30 August 2007

The technology of dispatching law enforcement quickly to disaster zones is a growing business, and two specialists will market their solutions jointly to U.S. localities

Reacting quickly to diasters — from hurricanes to campus shooting by a deranged student — is a pressing issue for law enforcement, if for no other reason than the fact that many witnesses to the diasters now carry cellular phones and camera phones. This contributes to two things: First, these witnesses can record the going on and report to law enforcement right away, making it possible for the police, if it acts quickly, to be on the scene in mintues; second, these same witnesses also often call TV stations, providing raw footage of the event, making the absence of law enforcement units — if they do not show up on the scene quickly — not only politically emabrassing to the authorities, but also deepening public insecurity and anxiety. The technology of quick dispatching is improving, and we note that San Diego, California-based TriTech Software Systems, a provider of computer-aided dispatch (CAD), mobile-data, and records-management solutions, and Golden, Colorado-basedLocution Systems, a specialist in automated dispatching, zoned dispatching, and fire-station alerting and control technologies, announced they will supply their technologies to five U.S. cities and counties. TriTech is providing VisiCAD Command, a multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction, CAD, and Locution Systems is providing CADVoice, an automated dispatching solution. The technologies will be deployed by public-safety agencies in Clark County, Nevada; Bellevue, Washington; Charlotte, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; and the West Metro Fire Rescue District in Lakewood, Colorado.