We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Undersheriff Frank Billmayer discusses the new Computer-Aided Dispatch software with Dispatcher PJ Timmons. Dispatch takes emergency calls, then sends deputies and Chinook police officers where they are needed. Business owners are being asked to update their emergency contact information so law enforcement can follow-up with an owner or manager when a potential problem at a business is discovered.
The Blaine County Sheriff's Office and Chinook Police Department are using a new web-based software that will improve crime statistics reporting and streamline dispatch operations that serve both agencies. Undersheriff Frank Billmayer explained, "The new eFORCE system utilizes computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) and will give officers a record management system (RMS) that will reduce paperwork and streamline the issuing and writing of citations. The RMS capabilities will allow department managers to create reports tailored to their needs.
Sheriff's deputies will be utilizing a phone app called e-Citations that will provide a means to complete citations without having to write all the pertinent information by hand. Data can be downloaded from a driver's license to the e-Citation. That information is then sent via phone to the appropriate agency that will process the citation. Billmayer said, "We are not totally paperless, but we will certainly be reducing the amount of time officers and citizens are exposed at the side of the highways when a citation is being issued." He added, "Roadside stops present the most dangerous exposure to officers and citizens, the e-Citation will reduce that exposure."
The computer-assisted dispatch allows central dispatch, located in the courthouse, to track sheriff's deputies via GPS. This provides a means for dispatch to more efficiently direct deputies where they are needed using the closest resource. Billmayer said the tracking capability of the software is already in use.
Need for up to date emergency
contacts for businesses
Undersheriff Billmayer and Chinook Police Chief Elmer Zarn say to make the new system more useful, dispatch needs up to date emergency contact information. "For example," Chief Zarn explained, "If one of our officers finds the door to a business ajar, they would contact and, ideally, dispatch would see a name and phone contact that the business owner provided for an emergency contact." Zarn added, "I've lived in Chinook for 50+ years so I know who to contact if I see something unusual regarding a business in town. My new officers don't have that advantage." For sheriff's deputies, there is the same need for current information that allows them to contact a county-based business owner if a problem is detected.
The sheriff and the police department are asking for businesses to voluntarily share current emergency contacts. With the advent of cell phones, those are the preferred numbers as most emergency situations will be outside regular business hours and the contact person would not be at the business. Updating the emergency numbers will also allow for 'backup' numbers. Zarn said, "If a business owner is out of town or not available, it is really helpful if we know the next person the owner wants contacted in an emergency."
Billmayer said, "It would be helpful to the sheriff's department if we had emergency contacts from ranchers and farmers with livestock operations along busy roads or highways. We often get calls from motorists who see cows out and call dispatch. Knowing how to contact the livestock operators in an area would speed up the process for getting the problem handled."
All the emergency contact information will eventually go into the dispatch system. There are several ways to list emergency contacts. For businesses in Chinook, Chief Zarn said, "Call 357-3170 and give the emergency contact name(s) and phone numbers. Or, you can email the information to: cpd31@itstriangle.com." He added, "If someone wants to give me the information in person, contact me and I'll come by and write it down for you, then get it to dispatch."
For county-based businesses, Billmayer said emergency contact information can be called in to 357-3260 or emailed to: dcornell@blainecounty-mt.gov. For both city and county businesses a mailing address or street name and number is needed along with the emergency contact info.
Both agencies believe the new dispatch system will make it easier to respond to emergencies. Having updated emergency contacts is necessary to make the new system work at its most efficient level. Call Chief Zarn or Undersheriff Billmayer with questions about the emergency contacts and how they will be used.
