By David Robinson, Morning Sentinel Staff Writer
Farmington, Maine — A taxpayer investment in public safety technology in Somerset County could make a new emergency dispatch system more affordable in Franklin County.

Officials from both counties met Tuesday to discuss how recent improvements could be shared to allow the region’s emergency dispatch centers and public safety agencies to better respond to emergencies, track criminals and store and share data.

Somerset County has built up the infrastructure in recent years to support the computer software that runs its local computer-aided dispatch system, according to Peter Smith, director of Technical Services.

About $1 million has been spent since 2007 on hardware that is needed to ensure the system runs efficiently, according to Smith. Much of this money was part of the taxpayer-approved bond for a new Somerset County jail, which uses the system to manage its records and operation, he said.

Although the software was already in place in several public safety agencies in the county — paid for by an almost $500,000 federal grant — the support technology was needed to meet the demands on the system, according to Smith.

This cost for support technology is what puts the system beyond the reach of Franklin County under the current economic conditions, according to Smith; but through a shared services agreement, the dispatch system can be purchased without the cost of the support technology, Smith told county officials.

Agencies that have not upgraded to the new dispatch system could choose to purchase the software, and contract with Somerset County for the access to the support technology, he said.

It’s still unclear how much the software and support contract would cost, according to Smith. The software cost can vary depending on the needs of the agency, he said, and a support contract would have to involve negotiations between the counties.

Franklin County Commission Chairman Gary McGrane requested that Smith return with a more detailed proposal.

This type of dispatch system allows member agencies to manage their public safety operations electronically via the Internet. They are able to file reports, store records and monitor and manage police, fire and medical calls through the system. It can also be accessed from any computer through an Internet connection that is secured by passwords and other security features.

Any department statewide that has the same software program can access records at any time, according to Smith. This enables them, for example, to access arrest records, active warrants and incident reports for a suspect during a traffic stop, he said.

Several police departments, including those in Jay, Rangeley and Carrabassett Valley, already have the dispatch software. They were able to purchase the system through a federal grant in 2005, according to Tim Hardy, director of the county Emergency Management Agency. Adding the county and Farmington Police Department would improve overall public safety communications in the area, he said.

Copyright © 2010 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy