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E911 Center upgrade [The Sampson Independent, Clinton, N.C.](Sampson Independent, The (Clinton, NC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 16--Sampson County's Emergency 911 Center will soon have a system in place that allows it to more effectively communicate and keep records with local law enforcement agencies, the aim of a recently approved software purchase. During a recent meeting of the Sampson Board of Commissioners, members unanimously authorized the execution of a contract between Sampson County and Southern Software Inc. for 911 Communications CAD (computer-aided dispatch) system upgrade, as signed off by commissioners in the 2014-15 budget. The new CAD software from Southern Software comes at a cost of $207,843, with new hardware totaling $37,358.23. According to Emergency Management director Ronald Bass, 911 funds were used to pay $207,169.35, while the county share is $38,031.88. "In recent years, the Sampson County Sheriff's Office and Clinton Police Department have begun utilizing Southern Software, while our current CAD software limits the integration the 911 center has with the responders," Bass said. According to the EMS director, the lack of core integration poses operational risks, including inability for dispatch to automatically search both the sheriff and police record management systems, create base incident reports for responder system or directly assign case numbers to reports. Additionally, responders are currently unable to create or add information to a dispatch event. "Southern Software would solve multiple issues such as core integration with the responders, lower maintenance cost and -- most important -- responder safety," Bass has said. It is recommended that 911 CAD server and workstations are replaced every three years. The county's equipment was last replaced in April 2010. "Law enforcement, Sampson County Sheriff's Office and Clinton Police Department, currently use this software," Bass noted. "This would make the Communications Center compatible with what they have. It would help law enforcement with their reports and it would give our Communications Center a vaster knowledge of what's going on." With calls for service continuing to grow, the Sampson's E-911 Center needs to be on the same page as local law enforcement and first responders. In a planning session with the Board of Commissioners at the beginning of this year, Bass pointed toward a software overhaul with Southern that could improve communications, tighten up record-keeping and bring dispatchers on the same page as local law enforcement. The center has utilized Tri-Tech for its CAD system since 1995. "It's been a very good program for us," Bass said of Tri-Tech. However, last year, the Sampson Sheriff's Office and Clinton Police Department transitioned to Southern Software for their records management. "The problem now is they have one thing and the (911) Communications Center has another thing -- it's not really integrated." The lack of core integration poses safety risks for emergency responders and the public who might come into contact with individuals posing a danger to them. It also leaves the agencies unable to track others' units on a map in order to provide assistance, share information, see records and add to emergency dispatch reports. "We have no way of knowing what is in the sheriff and PD's records and they have no way of knowing what is in ours," Bass said earlier this year. "With Southern Software, once that information comes into the 911 Center, that telecommunicator would put the information in and it would go to the responders' computer. They would see the same information." "Southern Software would solve multiple issues such as core integration with the responders, lower maintenance cost and, most important, responder safety," the EM director continued. "Immediately, it would be a big benefit to all the law enforcement. In the future, EMS could go to the same system and fire departments, if they saw fit, could go to the same system. There is a lot of potential for growth here. I think it's a win-win for the 911 Center and law enforcement or other responders." He said a move to Southern would further assist a 911 Center that has been inundated in recent years. In 1996, the Sampson County 911 Center, with three telecommunicators working per shift, received 47,880 calls. The calls have risen over time and, in 2013, with four telecommunicators per shift, the call total was at 78,266, a 64 percent increase. The 911 Center has to keep those reports on file for 10 years, with reports 5-10 years old kept in storage and those less than five years old in the center for 24-hour access. "We're out of file space," Bass said. In the lead-up to this year's budget approval, Bass said now was a great time for transition to Southern Software. An upgrade was needed either way, and at a local cost of $38,000, he said it was "well worth it." At this month's regular meeting, Commissioner Albert Kirby said he felt that when the purchase of the Sheriff's upgraded software with Southern was approved via split vote last year, that the company "overcharged" the county. He said he still stood by that assessment. "I feel like the equipment we got from Southern could have been obtained at a more reasonable rate," Kirby remarked. Bass said, in addition to compatibility, support costs would be much less with Southern, totaling $95,000, where support for the same period with Tri-Tech would cost nearly twice that, at just over $182,000. "The vendor we have now, versus Southern, in five years the annual support will save $87,000," the EM director stated. Kirby expressed his desire that certain contracts be vetted, and prices gauged. "There are a lot of different vendors out there and some you don't know, and I understand the apprehension," Kirby stated. However, he cited the strapped financial state of the county. Bass pointed again toward compatibility, something he felt others would not be able to provide. "My biggest concern would be getting something that is not compatible with what law enforcement has," Bass said. Reach staff writer Chris Berendt at 910-249-4616. Follow the paper on twitter @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook. ___ (c)2014 The Sampson Independent (Clinton, N.C.) 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