Oxford Village’s dispatch center was given a fresh new look over the last few weeks to accommodate a new county-wide radio system.
‘This is actually what a dispatch center should look like and others have looked like forever,? said Tony VanHouten, head of the village police department’s communications division. ‘We will be equal to anyone else as far as equipment goes.?
The department recently spent $20,306 on new dispatch console furniture that’s required for the new digital 800 MHz radio system covering Oakland County called ‘M/A-COM OpenSky.?
Using the new system, village dispatch will be able to instantly communicate with police and fire dispatch centers all over the county.
VanHouten said it’s expected the county-wide system will be up and running sometime within the next six to nine months.
‘Nobody’s on it yet,? he said. ‘We’re waiting for the actual radio itself.?
‘We’re going to be one of the last ones to go on-line with it,? VanHouten noted.
Right now, village dispatch does have the new 800 system’s console, the computer used to operate the radio. It’s currently being used to operate the village’s old radio system, which will remain in place as a backup.
‘When the new 800 (system) goes on-line, we’ll be able to talk to county dispatch, Lake Orion dispatch, anybody in the county,? VanHouten said. ‘Right now, we can’t communicate via radio with the sheriff’s department or Lake Orion. We have to call them on the phone.?
If there was a bank robbery in Oxford right now, VanHouten said a village dispatcher wishing to alert all police agencies in the county would have to type a message into the computerized Law Enforcement Information Network, then wait for other dispatch centers to see it and broadcast information to their patrol units.
The new system will allow the village to instantly contact ‘every single dispatch center in Oakland County? on a ‘special (radio) channel.?
‘We can broadcast information to everyone right as we get it,? VanHouten said. ‘It’s a more effective way to communicate.?
The new system will also allow village dispatchers to communicate directly with county patrol cars whenever necessary.
A grant through the county is covering the entire cost of the radio system, but not the console furniture necessary to accommodate it.
As a result, the village purchased $20,306 in furniture from the Watson Furniture Group in Poulsbo, Washington.
Gone are the ‘makeshift? workstations built by dispatchers over the years to suit the bulky old radio equipment.
The center now features two sleek, modern, spacious workstations lined with flat computer screens sitting on top of electronically adjustable work surfaces.
Each station can hold up to five 19-inch screens, two keyboards and two mice.
At the touch of a button, the stations raise and lower to the individual user’s desired height and comfort level.
Whether a dispatcher enjoys working in a standing or sitting position, the ‘user-friendly? workstations ‘adjust to everybody’s likening,? which is very important for job performance, according to VanHouten.
‘In the stressful job that we have, dealing with emergencies 24-7, you need to have a comfortable environment to think straight.?
Although $20,306 may sound like a bit much for the new furniture, VanHouten assured everything the department ordered was the ‘bare bones minimum.?
‘You could get foot warmers, fans, lights ? we were very conservative.?