Best of 2024 Content: Public Safety

The new year comes with challenges for public safety. Some old, like the hiring crisis that has plagued public safety for a few years. Some new, like adjusting to the policy priorities and funding reallocation of a new administration.

Two of the best ways to prepare for 2025 are learning from the past and learning from others. Reflect on 2024. 

• Are there any processes that can be streamlined?
• Can technology help your agency accomplish more despite staffing challenges? 
• How are your neighboring jurisdictions combating the hiring crisis?

In this article, we provide case studies of several public safety agencies that have used technology to do more with less – while saving money. Keep reading to get key takeaways from the leading case studies, webinars, and articles in 2024.

Johns Creek Police: An Unexpected and Lasting Partnership

Johns Creek Police serves a community just north of Atlanta, GA. Approximately 82 full-time officers and 20 non-civilian staff support the 85,000 residents of Johns Creek. 

Formed in 2008, they envisioned having their own 911 center with a full suite of products to support everything from CAD to reporting. This dream became a reality in 2010 with CentralSquare.

Johns Creek PD is part of a 911 consortium where all member agencies are using CentralSquare’s ONESolution platform. What is ONESolution? It’s a comprehensive public safety solution with all the integrations needed for handling dispatch, critical information sharing, records management and reporting.

With an integrated CAD and RMS system, Johns Creek PD has optimized their processes. When emergencies are called in, officers can complete calls more efficiently, equipped with all the necessary information. 

For example, officers can see the address and location with more clarity and respond quicker, which benefits the community as well. The call and response details are then efficiently stored in their RMS, which can be easily accessed for future incidents.

“My favorite thing about ONESolution is it’s such a stable and solid platform…Our relationship with CentralSquare is really more of a partnership. We’ve been able to form lasting friendships with employees at CentralSquare over the years.”

Jon Moses, Lieutenant at Johns Creek Police, GA

Burke County’s One-Stop Solution

It can be difficult for small- to mid-sized governments to find software that meets all their needs while still being affordable. But Burke County, NC found a solution.

For 20 years now, Burke County has been using CentralSquare ONESolution for records management, jail management, mobile solutions and more. As a medium-sized county, ONESolution became their one-stop solution that met all their needs better and more affordably than the competition. 

“The way things work in our county, with our varied departments and agencies, ONESolution just fits everything together…As a medium-sized county, it meshes so well, and we haven’t been able to find anything that competes with it.”

 Steve Kiddy, 911 System Administrator

ONESolution is a fully integrated suite that allows your CAD data to flow to all modules including RMS, Jail, Mobile, and Field Reporting. In Burke County, users across departments can access the same real-time information for seamless communication and faster decision making.

CentralSquare’s built-in GIS system has also benefited Burke County. With several local and rural fire departments, police departments, and EMS agencies, they use 40 map layers in their GIS for various data sets. This provides views of equipment, resources, hazards, crime patterns, infrastructure, etc. – anything they need to visualize and track county-wide.

Ventura Fire Department: Benefits of the CentralSquare and RapidSOS Integration

In fire and EMS, seconds can be the difference between life and death. With so much at stake, agencies need quick access to critical information on-the-go. They need faster response times and better situational awareness.

With many CAD systems today, dispatchers still have to manually process and transcribe calls. So the Ventura Fire Department in California had to ask themselves a question. What’s the point of a computer-aided dispatch system if the computer doesn’t do the work for you?

Before taking advantage of the RapidSOS and CentralSquare integration, Ventura dispatchers spent an average of one minute and seventeen seconds processing and transcribing alarm calls. Now with the integration it only takes seconds, and the information is automatically fed into their CAD.  It’s accurate, seamless, and efficient, but most importantly, it saves time and lives.

“The RapidSOS alerts and CentralSquare systems are the cutting edge of what’s out there for technology.”

Michael Wiesenberg, Battalion Chief

Ventura expects the RapidSOS integration to continue to save them roughly 90 seconds per call. If you multiply that by the number of alarm calls they get every year, their dispatch center is saving roughly 80 hours. 

The RapidSOS and CentralSquare integration has allowed Ventura to improve their situational awareness. It provides pertinent information in a timely manner and pinpoint accuracy in emergency response. This mission-critical information equips first responders to arrive on-the-scene better prepared, deliver the service quicker, and save lives.

“Now with RapidSOS alerts integrated into our CentralSquare CAD, we’re providing the best service for our citizens in Ventura County.”

Michael Wiesenberg, Battalion Chief

Taking 911 Beyond the Call

With the new FCC standards, emergency communication centers (ECC) are required to implement NG911 technology. The trick is finding the right solution.

In 2020, Great Falls, MT implemented Vertex NG911 by CentralSquare. With only 11 of 19 dispatcher positions filled, Vertex NG911 has allowed Great Falls to better serve their 84,000 residents despite being understaffed.

Vertex NG911 has improved Great Falls’ call handling system with several key features:

• SMS, MMS, and video streaming functionality
• Automatic abandoned call processing
• Esri mapping for capturing, analyzing, and sharing location data
• Automatic call distribution (ACD) to support complex call queuing
• CAD+911 to improve workflows and operational intelligence
• Text and translation functionality that quickly auto-detects 135+ languages

“The solution we’re using from CentralSquare, it’s like night and day compared to what we were using before. The functionality we have with the 911 solution is amazing.”

Brandon Skogen, Lead Public Safety Communications Officer

According to Skogen, Vertex NG911 has allowed Great Falls to do things they couldn’t have dreamt of. In addition to the features above, here are three benefits that Skogen’s team has enjoyed.

• The CAD integration allows for automatic calls. Previously, manual dialing increased the risk of human error, leading to waking people at night if the wrong number was dialed.
• The RapidSOS integration gives Great Falls an updated location every 30 seconds. It provides a map with exact caller location. This is particularly useful when citizens don’t know exactly where they are or where the emergency occurred.
• With the call location feature, dispatchers can see who’s calling and where from. If the person is a frequent caller, dispatchers know what they’re dealing with before answering.

Watch the full webinar now to learn how CentralSquare took Great Falls 911 “beyond the call,” and how it can help your agency do the same.

The Importance of NG911 Technology for Rural Communities

Cloud-based solutions are transforming how public safety agencies operate, especially within rural communities that face unique challenges. These challenges include:

• Outdated 911 systems that cannot receive text messages or video calls,
• Remote locations with limited infrastructure and access to emergency services, and
• Lack of system connectivity, leading to wasted time and resources.

Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology addresses these issues by enhancing communication methods beyond traditional voice calls. Some rural areas have limited towers and poor cell service. In the case of domestic violence, people may not be able to make a call safely. In both situations, NG911 lets citizens communicate their emergency via text message or video call.

As of July 2024, NG911 technology is required by the FCC. With the right solution, your agency can better serve its rural residents with improved access to emergency services. One such solution is Vertex NG911 by CentralSquare.

Vertex NG911 is a call-handling solution that supports text-to-911, streaming video, automated translation, audio transcription and more. And it comes with many practical benefits:

• Streaming video provides a real-time visual of the incident scene, offering context that can influence the urgency and type of response.
• Text-to-911 allows disabled individuals or those in dire situations to communicate their emergency with a text instead of a call.
• Automated translation makes emergency services accessible to non-English speakers.
• Integration between CAD and NG911 systems that break down information silos and foster better coordination between emergency response teams.
• Advanced data security and backup solutions allow your agency to maintain service continuity during natural disasters or other disruptions.

Furthermore, Vertex NG911 improves the accuracy of caller location. Thanks to built-in features that pinpoint the origin of calls with greater precision, you can give responders accurate information to reach people in rural areas where landmarks are sparse. Read the full article to learn more about modernizing technology in rural communities.

Get Started Today

From Johns Creek Police to Ventura Fire, public safety agencies across the US have benefited from cloud-based solutions like CentralSquare.

CentralSquare serves public safety with industry-leading software built for the specific needs of law enforcement, fire, dispatch and EMS. We have solutions for CAD, RMS, JMS, NG911, False Alarm Management, and much more – including one-stop, integrated solutions like ONESolution. 

Schedule a discovery call today to learn how CentralSquare can help your agency accomplish more with less resources and better serve the community.