In an effort to complete a project that started a year ago, Hinds County Board of Supervisors were given an update during their board meeting Monday, Dec. 6 as to the delays and the progress of implementing upgrades to its emergency response system.
Blake Wallace, executive director of the county’s Economic Development District told the board that because of personnel changes and other factors, someone dropped the ball. “It kind of got lost in the shuffle,” Wallace said. “I assumed it would have been picked up by folks. There have been a lot of personnel changes.”
The issue is upgrading a system that will help law enforcement dispatch pinpoint the precise locations of cell phone callers. This upgrade in technology is known as Enhanced 911, E-911 or Phase II 911.
Currently, the county relies solely on callers to accurately tell them where they are when reporting an emergency. This system according to Wallace would improve response time dramatically. “This new system will reduce response time by emergency personnel and improve the overall quality of life for residents in Hinds County,” he said.
Robert Graham, board president appeared shocked that this upgrade falls under Wallace’s responsibility and not the county’s Emergency Operations Director Jimmie Lewis. “So we’ve gone from a public safety issue to one being handled by Economic Development?” Graham asked.
Lewis responded, “My office is not in charge of the upgrades because this would require changes to our geographic information systems (GIS) databases, and that falls under the oversight of the county’s Economic Development District.”
The county, according to Wallace would need to synchronize its GIS databases and needs to add updated street and building information before installing the new technology.
On a 4-0 vote, the board approved new contracts for AT&T and InterAct Public Safety Systems to complete installation. Wallace presented these contracts and has hopes of presenting other ones at the board’s Dec. 20 meeting.
Graham stressed the importance of getting this done. “This should have been a priority of ours some time ago,” he said. “I don’t like seeing that we are lagging based on television and other news reports.”
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