NCJ Number
122558
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1990) Pages: 28-30
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Clackamas County, Oreg., has a model 911 emergency system that serves 15 emergency agencies, has an annual operating budget of $1.8 million, and handles 1,100 calls per day.
Abstract
The system is the first and only enhanced 911 operation in Oregon. The operation is the result of a complex process in which law enforcement and other agencies gave up a portion of emergency dispatch direct control, worked closely to combine ideas and resources, weathered the "transition trauma" of moving staff into the larger operation, and generated funding for a combined operation. Enhanced 911 reduces about 50 seconds from the emergency communications process, featuring a computer terminal that automatically shows a call's place of origin, name of phone subscriber, phone number, whether the number is a business or residence, and what police and fire departments serve the caller. The upgraded system reaches 80 percent of Clackamas County's population. Further upgrades to the 911 communications center are recommended, such as increasing the number of working radio channels and support staff; upgrading radio technology to the 800 trunked radio system; installing mobile data terminals in police and fire field units for efficient use of the limited frequencies; improving optrics (digital) paging; and further improving computer-aided technology to reduce processing time.