Broward\u2019s 911 system is about to get a major upgrade that promises to vastly improve law enforcement\u2019s ability to respond quickly to emergencies and allow people seeking help to provide more information than ever before.<\/p>\n
The County Commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday to approve a contract with Motorola Solutions Connectivity at a cost of up to $25 million over 10 years to replace the county\u2019s 911 system with a \u201cNext Generation 911\u201d model capable of better pinpointing the locations of callers and allowing them to use their cellphones to share video in real time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes 911 communication to another level,\u201d Broward Mayor Mark Bogen said. \u201cThis new technology will allow people to communicate with 911 by voice, by text, by video. It\u2019s like going from dial-up to high-speed Internet.\u201d<\/p>\n
County staff presented the idea to the commission last year, leading to a request for proposals from businesses interested in providing the service to Broward\u2019s 2 million residents. Motorola\u2019s bid won the staff recommendation, and approval is on the \u201cconsent agenda\u201d before the commission Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The consent agenda is a list of items typically approved by the commission in bulk and without discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed this already when we sent out the request for proposals,\u201d County Commissioner Steve Geller said. \u201cAt the time we all agreed we want and need enhanced 911.\u201d<\/p>\n
The money to pay for the new system comes from the state\u2019s Department of Management Services 911 fee allocations.<\/p>\n
Bogen touted other enhancements promised by enhanced 911, including more efficient call connection (reducing the current four-second wait to one second). \u201cIt doesn\u2019t sound like a big deal, but when you\u2019re in an emergency, every second counts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In addition, the new system routes incoming calls to the closest of the county\u2019s three call centers, switching automatically to another county center if any one should become flooded with calls, and even recruiting nearby counties in the rare event all three county centers are overwhelmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of that goes a long way to making sure the people of Broward County get the help they need when they need it,\u201d Bogen said.<\/p>\n
The user enhancements are the ones most likely to be noticed by the public. Residents will be able to use their cellphone cameras to record what they are seeing while they call for help. In a medical emergency or crime in progress, a 911 caller may not be able or willing to speak. Video can show the 911 dispatcher what type of emergency is taking place even when the caller cannot.<\/p>\n
Callers, not dispatchers, would be responsible for activating the cameras.<\/p>\n
Detectives and attorneys who already routinely rely on recorded 911 calls to investigate and prosecute crimes would have the ability to add the videos when collecting evidence.<\/p>\n
Four years ago, Broward\u2019s 911 system came under fire<\/a> for critical delays in 911 response times, with several of those delays resulting in deaths. The culprit at the time was determined to not be related to the technology but to insufficient manpower. Broward was motivated to increase funding to the Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office by $4 million<\/a> to boost pay and benefits to 911 operators who were being lured away by higher-paying jobs in neighboring jurisdictions.<\/p>\n Officials say the enhanced 911 system will take about 18 months to be fully implemented.<\/p>\n Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com<\/a> or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Twitter (X) @OlmedaNews<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t