NEWBERRY — Sheriff Lee Foster says that the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office has taken another step forward in using technology to improve response time to the people of the area.
The NCSO has now equipped every vehicle with Automated Vehicle Location (AVL). These devices track the vehicle’s location at all time. The system also sends the vehicle location to the 911 center and to the cars on duty at that time.
Foster said this technology will allow supervisors and the 911 center the ability to quickly see the closest deputies to calls, improving response time. Using this system, and the current mapping system, 911 dispatchers can guide the car to the call for help when they are having trouble locating the residence or call. This technology was recently used to guide a deputy to a lost hiker using the AVL from the car and the GPS for the caller’s cell phone.
These devices will also be a safety feature for the deputies because if the deputy calls for help or has other issues, the 911 center and other deputies will know exactly where the deputy is located. Foster said.
In addition to the AVL feature, the cars have been equipped with wireless connectivity back to the Sheriff’s Office. This means that the deputies are now able to perform their own driver’s license, tag and wanted person checks from the field.
This access will help cut down radio traffic and work in an already overloaded 911 center and shorten the time of traffic stops and other interactions, according to Foster.
The use of this technology will give the deputies more than just a better response time, but will give the deputies more time to patrol throughout the county.
The deputies can also get information from the 911 center sent directly to their car and while they have been doing reporting in the cars for some time, now the reports are immediately sent to the Sheriff’s Office server, officials stated.
Another feature of the system is a better reporting infrastructure: The system allows staff to review most all aspects of a vehicle’s operations such as speed, areas patrolled and other vital information to better deploy patrols based upon call volume and current crime trends.
“This is cutting edge technology,” Foster said. “We understand that in today’s world you must be willing to implement current technology into your operation and we are continually recognized as being on the front edge of that technology. However, we must understand that law enforcement is not just about technology, it is about people. People who are highly trained and equipped to serve the people of Newberry County.”
Foster added that the next goal with this technology is have various aspects of public safety throughout the county begin using the technology as well. The goal would be to have the ability to see all aspects of public safety functioning on a common map enabling the 911 center and vehicles to see and interact with each other in real time.
“We are being recognized at the state and national level for our partnerships with other agencies such as the police departments, school district and the hospital,” Foster said. “Those partnerships are invaluable to best serving the people of Newberry County.