At the time this was written, SmartCOP, Inc. was doing business as CTS America.
2009 ST. THOMAS – Since opening, the new 911 call center averages 500 calls daily, all of which are fielded electronically – a big switch from last week, when dispatchers recorded calls with pen and paper.
Around the clock, 365 days a year, five nationally certified 911 operators on each shift will record and dispatch emergency calls from St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island. A new digital system connects the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency to police, fire, emergency medical services and other rescue agencies. It also provides a backstop in case St. Croix’s system goes offline and vice versa.
The dispatchers are the “best of the best” and nationally certified to operate the system. They undergo intense training after a rigorous selection process, Mark Walters, VITEMA state director said. All dispatchers are trained in the same way to ensure a cohesive, interchangeable process from one island to the next, he said.
“There is no St. Croix way. There is no St. Thomas way. It’s a Virgin Islands way,” Walters said about the operational procedures across the territory. “It’s one system with two centers.”
In two 12-hour shifts, five dispatchers headed by one supervisor, with room for expansion to 12 dispatchers total during an event like a hurricane or an earthquake, work in the new VITEMA headquarters. It is all part of a $17 million project, and the rest of the building, which is off Moravian Highway near the turnoff to Airport Road, is expected to be completed by January, Walters said during a tour he conducted for Gov. John deJongh Jr.
The digital system is an improvement over an old analog system that worked inconsistently, Police Commissioner Novelle Francis Jr. said. One big difference is the ability for cell phone users to dial 911 to get emergency responders, which was unavailable until Oct. 21.
“In my 22 years, there have always been dead spots,” Francis said. “It’s always been a command issue.”
The center is the result of a collaboration between VITEMA and the Bureau of Information Technology, headed by Paul Arnold Jr. The system was updated with new hardware including the ECS-1000, which processes the caller identification information by interfacing with the telephone lines. The collaboration between the two departments is expected to continue, Walter said.
Armed with new digital radios and a streamlined process, most officers are taking to the new order of business.
“It’s a tad bit of a change on how we use the radio,” Carolyn A. Wattley, center district manager for St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island said. “But they are getting used to it.”
In the event of an earthquake or hurricane, the center is equipped with two generators and a backup battery that will ensure that the system stays operable when needed most, Walters said.
The new digitized system is encrypted to protect confidential information and first responders, Francis said.
However, the transition to an encrypted frequency rendered analog scanners obsolete, leaving news organizations without real-time access to calls as they happen. This potentially limits the information the community gets through the media. The governor and police officials say they want to figure out the best way to allow access to public information without jeopardizing victims and police.
“I will talk to VITEMA and police on how best to proceed,” deJongh said. “Our biggest concern is the safety of our first responders and the protection of confidential information.”
Michael Moriarity, acting regional administrator for FEMA, said this is a common issue among departments going digital. Moriarity worked on the $3 billion overhaul to combine New York City’s police and fire systems after Sept. 11, 2001. A potential solution could be leasing the hardware to the news organization and conducting background checks on those who have access to the real-time information, he said.
“What was going on at any given time is available to good guys and bad guys. It’s encrypted because you don’t want criminals listening in,” he said.
