St. Louis County Police 911 dispatch center could see $4.2 million overhaul
By Caroline Hecker
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — The St. Louis County Police Communications Center could soon see a long-awaited upgrade, thanks in part to federal COVID-19 relief funding.
The dispatch center, which answered 813,000 calls for service in 2021 and dispatches more than 30 police departments, is operating on a computer system that is 22 years old, first implemented in 1999.
“Everybody knows we need it, but where does the money come from?” Eddie Baird, with the dispatch center, said.
Baird said discussions have been ongoing since 2015, with numerous proposals to update the Computer Aided Dispatch System, also known as “CAD.”
Dispatchers use the system when answering calls and relaying information to first responders in the field. However, Baird said a new system would be more intuitive and user-friendly, allowing dispatchers to do their jobs more efficiently and quickly.
“We’re restricted by the infrastructure of our current CAD system,” he said. “So a new system will take advantage of all of those technical advances within the last 22 years.”
Tuesday night, the St. Louis County Council will vote to move some of that money to keep the project on schedule. In February, the council voted 7-0 to perfect the bill calling for the funding.
St. Louis County received $193 million dollars in federal COVID-19 economic relief funding and has already allocated about 50 percent of the money. Federal dollars would be used to fund the $4.2 million project.
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